The Power of Love and Friendship: Volume II
by lateVMlover
Summary: The story follows the events of season 1 of Buffy picking up a few weeks after the first volume. Lex and Buffy grow closer as Buffy starts her mentoring program at Smallville high. How will Clark handle learning about the world Buffy and Dawn live in? Will they accept his secret well? How long before Lex finds out? These are all things the story will get into.
1. Chapter 1

**This follows the first volume. Please read the first one before attempting to read this one! I won't be directly covering all the episodes in season 1. Some will happen in between updates, meaning they might be mentioned. Other times like in this one, it seemed easy to bring Buffy and Dawn into the story. This first chapters start a few weeks into the New Year. The events of episode nine "Rogue" have happened to Clark, but it's not over completely. I would like to continue this volume throughout the rest of season 1 events. It will probably be longer than the previous stories.**

 **Remember, this is a Buffy/Lex pairing. I have no intention on pairing Buffy with Clark. There's lots of stories like that out there, but this is about Buffy mentoring Clark. It's about redemption for Lex.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in BTVS or Smallville. Only this story is my own.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 1: A Secret Revealed

 _*****Smallville High School*****_

Lana Lang walked into the cafeteria looking for Whitney. He and his friends were sitting around Dawn, the new girl. An uncomfortable Clark was sitting next to her with Chloe on her other side. Lana wasn't sure what to think of the new girl. It wasn't that Lana begrudged anyone else popularity, but it was hard to get used to. Lana was dating the most popular boy in school even though he was two years older than she was. Because of her parents dying when she was young, everyone knew Lana. Some felt sorry for her, but everyone was always nice. Since Whitney had asked her out, however, it seemed like everyone was always focused on her. Lana thought that it was suffocating, but now that everyone was focused on the beautiful and brilliant Dawn Summers, she realized how much she counted on everyone else's opinion and attention. She didn't like what she was discovering about herself.

"Are you okay, Lana?" a voice asked. She turned and saw Ms. Summers, Dawn's sister. Ms. Summers was on campus every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday since the semester started. She was the new peer counselor. Chloe, Clark, and Pete already knew her because they'd met her back in the fall. To Lana's surprise, she was dating Lex Luthor. Lana wouldn't have thought Buffy, a psychology major from a modest background, would be his type.

Unlike her sister Dawn, Ms. Summers was tiny, but equally beautiful with long blonde hair and green eyes. She held herself, though, in a way Lana had never seen any woman hold themselves—like she had this coiled power waiting to break loose. It was both fascinating and disconcerting.

"I'm fine, Ms. Summers," Lana assured her.

Buffy looked at Lana. The girl always seemed so separate from all the people she surrounded herself with. For some reason, Buffy felt a strange kinship with this girl. There was a brokenness hidden below her smiling exterior that pulled at Buffy—she could relate. So far, her attempts to connect with Lana had been rewarded with friendly aloofness, but Buffy wasn't about to give up.

Lana joined her friends.

"Hey, babe," Whitney said, smiling at her. He kissed her cheek and made room for her, putting her directly across from Clark.

"Hi, Lana," Clark said.

"Hi," she replied. Chloe and Dawn greeted her.

"Dawn was just telling us that she and her sister are going to Lex's gala in Metropolis this Friday," Whitney said.

"Oh?" Lana said, opening her drink. "I think it'll be fun."

"I've never been to one," Dawn said. "Buffy says we get to dress up, so that'll be fun."

"I don't like dressing up," Chloe said.

"We're not going, remember?" Pete reminded her. Pete's parents wouldn't let him go even if he wanted to, which he didn't.

"Oh, yeah," Chloe said. "I have a hot story to put to bed."

Dawn turned to Clark. "Lex is going to send a limo to pick us up. Do you want to ride with us?" she asked. So far, Dawn had figured out that Chloe had a crush on Clark, who had a crush on Lana, who seemed to be really attached to her cute boyfriend Whitney. Chloe was oblivious to Pete, who snuck looks at her whenever he could. It was a real high school love fest. Dawn didn't want to upset Chloe by crushing on Clark herself, but it was hard not to like the extremely good-looking guy. He was sweet, considerate, and hard working. She'd go with the good friend route for now.

"Okay," Clark said. "That sounds nice." He smiled at her. Dawn was pretty amazing. When he'd went over to her house after all their friends had left town after the New Year's Eve party, he'd seen her collection of books. She was possibly the most interesting person that he'd ever met. She was studying ancient languages for fun. Who did that?

 _*****Metropolis*****_

Lex watched his ravishing girlfriend as she charmed yet another out of their money for the fundraiser.

"You're drooling, Lex," Clark teased, watching him watch Buffy.

"Look at her, Clark," Lex said, his admiration plain for anyone to see. "She's perfect. I've known a lot of women, but I've never known anyone like her. She's brave, selfless, generous, interesting. After knowing her for four months, she's still mysterious."

"Not to mention, beautiful," Clark said in amusement. Buffy was wearing a red dress to Dawn's green. Both women were stunning.

"Yes, but I've known beautiful women. That's not what makes her special," Lex said. "Dad hates her."

"Does that bother you?" Clark asked.

Lex grinned and shook his head. "If I can be with a woman the he hates for no good reason, it makes it sweeter," Lex admitted. "She's not afraid of him, Clark. Can you believe that? Lionel Luther doesn't intimidate her at all."

Clark chuckled, glad to see his friend so happy.

Lex gave Clark a pointed look. "What about you? Why aren't you talking to Dawn? She is quite beautiful herself—and brilliant," Lex said.

"Yes," Clark admitted. "She is that." He glanced at Lana who was smiling at Whitney.

"If Lana Lang can't see you, Clark, then maybe you should focus on a girl who does," Lex said pointedly. Dawn was walking toward them, holding two drinks.

Clark walked to her while Lex joined his girlfriend. "Is that for me?" he asked.

"No, it's for the other guy I came with," Dawn said, smiling. She handed him a drink. "This place has some cool stuff. Wanna explore more?"

Clark nodded and followed after her.

Buffy was watching her sister as Lex put his arm around her. "Do you mind if I steal my girlfriend for a moment?" he asked the man Buffy was talking to. The man smiled and waved her away without protest.

Buffy flashed him a grin. Since New Year's Eve, she and Lex had been mostly inseparable. She wasn't with him every day, but they talked a few times a day when apart. They'd slept together the night of his party, and it had been perfect. It was passionate like with Spike and tender like with Angel. Like Riley, Lex enjoyed holding her. She felt safe with him. Although a part of her was waiting for something to go wrong, she was trying hard not to sabotage things. So far, her luck was holding.

Dawn was having a good time. Yes, Clark kept sneaking looks at Lana, but he was still hanging out with her. Things were good. She didn't think that she was completely friend-zoned yet with him. Sometimes, he blushed when he was with her. Dawn took that as a good sign. However, her new friendship with Chloe wasn't going to let her push things too hard too fast.

They were exploring the building and talking, moving further away from the party. Clark was enjoying getting to know his new friend, trying to not think about Lana with Whitney.

"I need to find a little girl's room," Dawn told him.

"I think they're down that hall," he said, pointing.

As Dawn stepped away, Clark called out, "I'm going to step outside and get some fresh air."

Dawn nodded, so he turned and went out the door. Clark looked up at the night's sky like always, but the buildings of Metropolis obscured his view of the stars. Although he liked visiting Metropolis, he didn't know if he could ever get used to living in the city. He knew, though, if he went away to college, it would probably be in a big city. Working on a farm all his life would be honest work, but it wasn't really something he was passionate about like his dad. He could do it and be content, but it didn't make him excited to think about. The life of a farmer was an isolated one. Clark didn't think he was given his powers to live away from people. There were too many people he could help. His father's fear of discovery meant little to him when the thought of the people who might need him. He glanced out at the streets and saw a homeless man with his dog. The image pierced his heart. The poor guy probably had no one to love or love him, but he had that dog. Clark wondered if the man fed the dog before he fed himself. It made him incredibly sad to think about. No one should ever go hungry.

When he saw the bus coming down the street, he frowned. It was not driving right—something was definitely wrong. Before he realized what was happening, the bus was heading right toward the homeless man on the bench. Without considering the consequences, Clark moved forward to move the guy. When he realized that he didn't have time to save both the man and the dog, he stood in front of them both, letting the bus hit him. Although the force of the bus stung a bit, there was no pain—he was invulnerable. This was further proof, and it both excited and upset him. Why was he able to stop a bus with his body? Humans weren't built that way.

More and more the voice inside him grew louder: _He wasn't human._

Clark looked around for witnesses on the street and saw no one. He turned to head back to the gala and his eyes locked with Dawn's. She saw the whole thing.

Dawn had stepped outside to find Clark when she spotted him getting hit by the bus. The horror of the scene locked the scream in her throat. However, when it was clear that Clark was okay, she began to move toward him. Neither noticed the other man nearby who had seen the entire thing.

"Oh my God, Clark! Are you okay? How did you do that?" Dawn asked excitedly.

This was exactly what his dad warned him about, Clark thought, feeling sick. He wanted to run away, but Dawn went to his school. What was he supposed to say?

"I don't know," he mumbled.

"Well, you saved that guy's life, Clark! You're a hero!" she gushed. She looked him over. "Are you hurting anywhere?"

"I don't think so," he said.

"You're adopted, right?" Dawn asked, her clever brain working hard. Clark nodded. "I bet you're, like, part demon or something."

"I'm not a demon!" Clark exclaimed, horrified.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with being part demon. I've known a few great ones. They're like people—just different," Dawn assured him.

Clark could see that she was sincere, but he was so rattled that his mind seemed to shut down. He ran off.

Dawn's mouth fell open as she saw the blur that was her new friend. "Well, that's different," she said.

Dawn went inside to find her sister. "Buffy, can I speak to you in private a minute?" she asked, not sure how Lex would respond to the news of supernatural. Buffy should be the one to tell him.

"What's up?" Buffy asked as they stepped several feet away from Lex.

"So Clark isn't human," Dawn whispered.

"Huh?" Buffy asked in confusion.

"I saw him stand in front of a moving bus to protect a guy and his dog. The bus hit Clark, and he wasn't hurt at all," Dawn said.

Buffy's eyes widened. Not even she could withstand a bus. "Wow!" she said.

"When I asked him what demon he was, he got freaked. Then I figured that since he was adopted he might not even realize what he was," Dawn said. "Then he ran off so fast that he was just a blur. Like Glory fast."

A hint of fear hit Buffy as she thought of the implications. "Do you think he's sharing his body with a hell god like Ben was?" she asked.

"Well, I am now!" Dawn said, terrified of about the possibilities.

"He probably went home," Buffy said. "We'll go speak to him tomorrow."

Dawn nodded. "I hope he'll be okay. He was really upset," Dawn said in concern.

"We'll help him," Buffy said. It was what they did, after all.

***** _The Next Day*****_

Clark's parents were more than upset when he told them about Dawn finding out he wasn't exactly human. Then they told him about the ship, and then showed it to him. He wasn't a demon—he was an alien. Was that better?

"Clark?" a voice asked. He turned and saw Buffy and Dawn standing there. Of course, Dawn would tell her sister.

"Why are you here?" he asked sullenly.

"We're here to help you," Buffy said, moving closer.

"I don't need any help, thanks," he said, turning his back away from them, fiddling with the tractor.

Buffy looked at her sister, who nodded and moved closer to Clark. She walked in front of him. "Clark, let us help you," Dawn said.

"I don't need your help," he said again. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine, Clark. You run faster than human and incredibly strong. We've seen this before," Dawn said.

Now they had Clark's attention. "You have?" he asked in surprise.

"We lived in a town that was on a hellmouth. We've seen all kinds of things," Dawn told him. "You're not the only one who has powers that aren't meteorite caused." She'd spent enough time with Chloe to have a firm grasp on the Wall of Weird.

Clark's attention was now focused entirely on her. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"She means that I'm not normal either," Buffy admitted. She reached for a large crescent wrench. Clark watched as she bent the wrench in half and handed it to him.

Clark was caught so off guard by Buffy's unexpected action. Was she an alien, too? He straightened up the wrench, easily molding it back in shape.

"Buffy's the Slayer," Dawn said, which told Clark nothing.

"Huh? She's the slayer of what?" Clark inquired.

"Monsters and vampires," Buffy answered.

Clark smiled, thinking they were joking. When they didn't smile, he realized that they were completely serious. "You're serious?" he asked.

"The world is much older than many believe. Before humans were here, there were Old Ones, pure demons who walked the earth. Eventually, they mixed with humans creating vampires and other monsters like werewolves and various demon species," Buffy explained.

"Buffy was empowered to fight those kinds of things. It's why she's so strong," Dawn explained.

Clark looked disappointed. "Oh," he said.

"Why does my explanation bum you out?" Buffy asked.

"We're not the same. I thought maybe you were like me," Clark said.

"We'll figure out what you are, Clark. I have friends and resources that can figure out most things," Buffy assured him. "It's possible that you are hosting a hell god or even an Old One."

Clark smiled, looking much more relaxed. "No, I'm not," he said.

"So you know what you are?" Dawn asked.

Clark nodded. "My parents finally told me the truth," he said.

"What you are?"

"Yes," Clark said. "I'm not a demon of any kind nor am I hosting one. I'm an alien." He'd been upset at that until the Summer sisters offered a more horrific possibility.

Now it was Buffy and Dawn's turn to be surprised. "Excuse me?" Buffy asked, stunned.

 _*****Chapter End*****_

 _I couldn't recall the exact episode Clark's parents told him about his alien origins, so please forgive the change here. I don't think Clark knew by episode 8 that he was an alien, but either way, I'm changing things a bit. The Lex life saving event didn't play out like the show did, so I figure the parents didn't tell him until forced to like now._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Stop Pretending

 _*****Same Time and Place*****_

"I'm an alien," Clark said.

"Excuse me?" Buffy asked.

"I'm not from around here," Clark said.

"You're Canadian? You don't look Mexican," Buffy remarked.

When Clark pointed upward, Dawn gasped. "You mean you're like from outer space?" she asked.

"A real alien?" Buffy added. She thought about the alien demon Glory sent after her mother and the crazies in Sunnydale. Clark was so far from that, but Buffy had no knowledge of alien men. Giles never mentioned any.

"Yes," he said.

Buffy frowned and looked at Dawn. "How come Giles didn't tell us that there were aliens here on Earth?" she asked.

"He probably didn't know," Dawn said.

"Giles knows everything," Buffy said, slightly offended at her implication.

"Not everything, Buffy," Dawn said, rolling her eyes.

"No one knows about me but my parents, and they know very little," Clark said. "I arrived here during the meteorite shower in a small spaceship. I was around two or three. I could lift a car even at that age."

"Wow!" Dawn said, impressed. "I bet we could figure out where you're from if we investigate it."

"My parents don't want any attention on me. They're afraid of what the government might do to me if they knew about me," Clark said.

"We've been keeping secrets since I was fifteen," Buffy said. "We have some doozies of our own."

"I'm not from this planet either," Dawn said, excited to share their connection.

Now it was Clark's turn to look shocked. "What? You're an alien, too?" he asked.

"Sort of. It's even weirder," Dawn said. "I've only been human a couple of years. Before that I was this ball of green energy used to open up portals to other dimensions. This skanky hell god wanted to use me to get back to her home, which would've destroyed the world, causing all realities to bleed into one another if she used me."

"Seriously?" Clark said, looking between them both to determine if they were being serious.

"She's telling the truth," Buffy said, a grim look on her face. "Her name was Glorificus—Glory was the strongest foe I had fought before. She was like you. Nothing could hurt her. She ran in a blur."

"That's why you asked me if I was those things?" Clark asked, understanding.

The girls nodded. "Yes," Buffy said. "It made sense because Glory wasn't always that way. She was shoved into a human body at a boy's birth. Ben, her host, was a sweet guy when he wasn't helping her destroy the world."

Clark's mind raced as he tried to take in everything she was saying. It was so incredible. "So what happened to this Glory?" he asked.

Dawn looked at Buffy for permission. Buffy nodded. If Clark was going to trust them, they had to be open with him. Dawn answered, "She managed to figure out that I was the key. Monks had shaped me out of Buffy and planted all these false memories into Buffy's mind and everyone she knew. It was like I had always been there. I was fourteen, but I was really ancient and newly formed at the same time."

"So when she acts like a child, it's because she's only been human for three years!" Buffy teased, winking at her sister, who stuck out her tongue.

"How did they do this?" Clark asked, perplexed.

"Magic," Buffy said. "Magic is real. Some people, like my friend Willow that you met at New Year's, have an incredible ability to use it. The monks' spell to shape reality was not something many people could do. Since they used the combined power of their group, it was stronger. It wasn't just one person's magic."

"Glory eventually nabbed me and tied me to this tower that was several stories high. Buffy fought Glory and beat her, but one of her acolytes already cut me," Dawn said, lifting her shirt and showing him her battle scars.

Clark felt ill thinking about the horror his new friend had gone through. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"It's okay. Buffy got up there and stopped it before I lost too much blood," Dawn said. "But even a drop of my blood was enough to open the portal."

"It was bad. Demons and stuff were coming out everywhere," Buffy added.

"How did you close the portal?" Clark said. The world was still there, so they had to have stopped it.

"I was going to jump to close it, but Buffy wouldn't let me," Dawn said, giving her sister a rare look of love and devotion. "She figured out that our blood was the same and that her blood could do the same thing that mine could. She jumped in my place."

Clark's eyes widened as he looked at Buffy. "Wow! You did that for your sister? That's incredible!" he exclaimed. "Did your slayer power protect you from the fall? It'd probably not hurt me to fall from several stories."

"I don't know if it was the energy from the portal or the fall," Buffy said. "Either way, I was dead and buried in May. I was brought back by Willow's magic in October."

This Clark had a hard time believing. "You're telling me that you were dead for months and then came back to life? That's insane. I guess you're trying to make me feel better about my alien origins by making stuff up?"

"She's not lying, Clark," Dawn said, looking incredibly said. "It was the worst year of my life. Mom had died in February of that year. Then Buffy in May. My entire life was destroyed. I wouldn't joke about something that horrible."

Clark was silent as he contemplated what they were saying. "I-I don't know what to say," he finally said.

"You don't need to say anything. I just wanted you to know that we get it, Clark. We know what it's like to be different. To feel burdens that no one should ever feel. I've fought for years to save the world, and I gave up that mantle for the most part," Buffy said. "I want to be more than just a slayer. I don't want to only be about killing monsters. I want to help people in other ways. That's why I'm at school. That's why I'm here in Smallville."

"Don't worry about your secret, Clark. It's safe with us," Dawn assured him.

"My secret is for your ears only—not all your friends," Buffy said. "A time may come when we'll need to tell them. Things tend to happen around me. But not now. I haven't even told Lex."

"Can I tell my parents?" Clark asked. "They were pretty upset that Dawn saw me with the bus."

"Yes, you can tell your parents. It's never a good idea keeping secrets from your parents," Buffy said. "I did that to my mom for too long. It had some ugly consequences."

"Well, in your defense, our parents did commit you the first time you told them about being a vampire slayer," Dawn reminded her.

"True," Buffy acknowledged.

"They committed you?" Clark asked in surprise. "To a crazy house?"

"Yep. Not the best of memories. But, you know, being in that place never left me completely. I'd like to help people before they have to be sent to that kind of place," Buffy said.

"Is everything okay?" Jonathan Kent said, coming into the barn.

"It's fine, Dad," Clark said, flashing his dad a reassuring smile.

"We were just assuring Clark that his secret is safe with us," Buffy said. "I shared some of my own that he can tell you about. Then maybe we can come over for dinner some time and talk about things."

"How about tomorrow?" Jonathan asked, determined to get a read on these two women that Clark was becoming involved with. They knew too much. His son was at risk.

"Sounds great. Six?" Buffy asked.

He nodded. "That'll be fine," he said.

"Thanks, guys," Clark said, smiling at the women as they left.

"Let's go inside so you can tell me and your mom what they said to you," Jonathan said. Clark followed after his dad, bracing himself for the talk that was about to happen.

 _*****The Next Day*****_

Buffy was having lunch with Lex when some guy Buffy had never seen before approached the table.

"Lex," the guy said.

Buffy could tell that her boyfriend wasn't happy to see the man. "Detective Phelan. What brings you to Smallville?" he asked.

"I needed to speak to you a minute. Please," the man tacked on as an afterthought.

Lex didn't want the man speaking in front of Buffy, and he knew from past experiences with the crooked cop that he would if Lex didn't give him his attention. Lex got up and walked to the nearby counter. "What do you want?" Lex asked coldly.

The detective pulled some pictures out of a yellow envelope he was carrying. "I wanted to know if you could identify this man?" he asked.

Lex looked down at the photos from the fundraiser they had all been at the night before. It was Clark. He kept his face perfectly blank as he said, "No. I have no idea who the guy is."

"You're standing right by him," Phelan said in annoyance.

"So. I meet lots of people. I can't be expected to know everyone single one of them or even remember their names," Lex said, sounding bored. "What do you want with a teenager anyway?"

"That's my business," Phelan said, putting the picture away. "If his name comes to you, give me a call."

"I threw away your number," Lex said pointedly.

The detective gave Lex his card. When Lex sat back down, Buffy asked, "Who was that guy?" She could hear some of the conversation, but since she didn't see the photo, didn't know who they were discussing.

"A guy my dad used to call to get me out of trouble a few years ago," Lex said with a grimace. "He's what you'd call a crooked cop."

"What did he want?" Buffy asked.

"He had a photo of Clark and wanted me to identify him," Lex said, his concern obvious.

"Clark? Whatever for? I can't imagine what a cop would want with Clark," Buffy said even though she could very well imagine.

"Who knows?" Lex said with a shrug. "Whatever he wants, can't be good. Somehow Clark has gotten his attention. He won't stay back away until he gets what he wants. That's the kind of guy he is."

"Are you going to warn Clark?" Buffy asked.

"Yea. Clark needs to know," Lex said.

"I'm having dinner at his house tonight with Dawn. His dad invited us. I can tell him if you want," Buffy offered.

"That's fine. But tell him that whatever that guy asks him to do, he better say no. He doesn't want that guy to be sinking his claws in him," Lex said. "He'll regret it."

Several hours later, it was on Buffy's mind as she and Dawn knocked on the Kents' door.

"Hi, Dawn. Buffy," Clark said, smiling in greeting. "Come in." When both girls winced as his verbal invitation, his smile widened.

"Don't be so friendly after sunset," Buffy warned. "There's not really any supernatural in Smallville. I think it's the meteorite effect. But you can never be sure."

"So vampires are really real?" Martha asked. "Clark filled us in. He said you'd explain more."

"Yes, they are real," Buffy said. "I've been slaying them since I was fifteen."

"Slay? Is that another word for kill? You kill things?" Jonathan asked in disapproval.

Buffy caught his implied criticism and didn't appreciate it. "I protect humans and innocents. I protect people from monsters. What do you do besides farm and tell your kid he should never do anything to help others if it puts his secret at risk?" she asked pointedly.

When Jonathan looked at Clark, Clark quickly said, "I didn't say that to her! I swear!"

"He didn't have to," Buffy said bluntly. "I know people. I know how alone Clark is—how isolated. It's great that he has you. I wish my parents had been so understanding when they first learned about what I could do. But it's not the only way to live nor the best way."

"It works pretty good for us," Jonathan said defensively.

"For now. But he needs friends to support him," Buffy said. "He may appear invulnerable. I defeated a hell god that was a lot like him. I did so with the help of my friends. Clark may have weaknesses you don't know about. Keeping him isolated with no allies that know his secret isn't a good idea. I'm one of the oldest living slayers in history. Most slayers are killed a year or two after they are called. I died the first time when I was sixteen. I died again at twenty. Both times it was my friends that brought me back from death."

The Kents exchanged a look. They'd been married long enough to speak without words. "We want to know more. We don't want Clark to feel alone, but we're just scared for him," Martha said, reaching for Clark's hand.

"I'll be okay, Ma," Clark assured her.

"Well, I have an army of slayers just like me. My best friend is one of the strongest witches on the planet. If anyone comes after Clark, they'll have to get through all of us," Buffy said.

"An army? How did that happen?" Clark asked, curious.

"That's a long story," Dawn said. "I'm starvin'!"

Martha smiled at the teen and got up to grab the roast. "I hope you like pot roast," she said.

"We love pot roast!" Buffy said excitedly. Soon the food was passed around, and Buffy began her story. "It started with the First Evil…"

***** _The Talon*****_

Detective Phelan knew that the kid who stopped that bus with his body lived in Smallville. He had asked around. Most of the guest that were young were from Smallville. He walked up to the counter and smiled at the young teen behind it. "Hello," he said, giving her a friendly smile.

"Hi. What can I get you?" Lana asked him.

"A large coffee," he said. When she turned to get it, he pulled out the photo.

"Here you go. That's $1.50," she said.

He gave her $2 and laid the photo on the counter. "Is this you?" he asked.

Lana looked at the picture of her and Whitney at the gala Lex hosted. "Yes. That's me and my boyfriend. How did you get that?" she asked.

"I'm trying to get the names of all the guest," he said, holding up his badge. "We're looking for a witness to a crime that happened nearby where the event took place."

"Oh. Well, I'm Lana," she said. "Lana Lang. I own the Talon."

"So young and already a business owner? That's impressive," he said, smiling at her. He put down the picture he really cared about. "Now I know that is Lex Luther with his girlfriend, Buffy Summers. Who is the guy near them?"

"That's Clark. Clark Kent. His parents own the Kent Farm," she told him.

Detective Phelan smiled in satisfaction. "Thanks," he said. "Thanks a lot."

***** _Chapter End*****_

 _I hope you liked the update. Reviews are the BEST! Thanks!_


	3. Chapter 3

**It took me a while, but I think I finally came up with a fun twist on the Detective Phelan tale that will be unexpected. Oh, and the storyline is from the show. The events and what he witnessed where came from like episode 9 or so of season 1. Then he tried to blackmail Clark. The guy used to be Lionel's dirty cop who fixed all Lex's shenanigans when he was a bit younger. I hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 3: Police Corruption

***** _The Next Day*****_

Detective Phelan waited outside Smallville High School. There he was. The freak who could stop a bus with his body. His golden ticket. A girl was with him. He looked down at his photos. Oh, yes. That was the sister of Lex Luthor's girlfriend. Dawn Summers was her name.

He moved to intercept them. "Clark. Can I speak to you?" he called out.

Clark looked up, frowning at the stranger.

"Who's that?" Dawn asked.

Clark shrugged. "I don't know. He doesn't look familiar to me," he said. He walked closer to the man.

The guy pulled out his badge. "I'm Detective Phelan from Metropolis. I need to speak to you about something," he said.

Clark glanced at Dawn, who said, "I'll wait for you by your truck."

As soon as she was away from them the detective's face took on a calculating look. "So, Clark, I was outside the big shing-dig you were at on Friday. I saw something real interesting outside. Can you guess what that might be?"

From the grin on the guy's face, Clark got a sick feeling inside. He could tell by the guy's face that he knew what Clark had done to save the homeless man and his dog.

"Yes, Clark, I know what you can do. I saw you stopped a bus with your body," he said. He looked Clark over. "And I can see that you don't have a scratch on you. Why is that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Clark said, unwilling to admit to anything.

"I know you do. I'm not sure what exactly you are or how you can do the things you do—I don't really care," he added. "This town has had its fair share of weird-o's. It's just my good luck to run across you just when I need something done."

"I'm not doing anything for you," Clark said angrily. "Stay away from me."

He turned and went to his truck. Dawn could tell from the look on his face that he was upset. "What happened?" she asked as she got into the passenger side.

Clark started the truck and pulled out. "He saw me with the bus in Metropolis," Clark shared. "He wants something from me."

"What?" she asked

"I don't know. I didn't stick around to find out," Clark said grimly.

He made it to her house and stopped. "I'll tell Buffy about it. She'll help," Dawn said as she opened the truck door.

"This is my problem. I'll deal with it," he told her.

"Sorry, Clark, it doesn't work like that," she said. "We have your back." Before he could argue further, she got out of the truck.

Sighing in resignation, he put the truck in drive and went home.

He was in the middle of dinner when their doorbell rang. He'd already told his parents what had happened.

"Who could that be?" Martha wondered.

Clark didn't reply, but he wasn't surprised to see both Summer girls at this door.

"Dawn told me what happened," Buffy said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Clark said.

"Buffy. Dawn. Come inside," Martha said, greeting them in her friendly manner. "We were having dinner."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't think. I just heard what happened and was worried about Clark," Buffy said, looking sheepish.

"It's okay," John said. "You're welcome to join us."

"Ma always makes plenty," Clark said.

"Well, if you're sure it's no bother," Buffy said, never one to turn down free home cooking.

"I told you that we should wait. I knew they were probably having dinner," Dawn said smugly.

Martha smiled at the two girls. Buffy didn't look much older than her sister, yet she had to be the adult. It couldn't be easy. A maternal instinct welled up inside her. She always wanted more children. Chloe's mom ran off, but she was so independent that Martha never felt that urge to mother her. Pete had a set of parents who loved him. These girls, though, they needed a mom. She didn't hesitate. "You girls are always welcome here. I could never have any children of my own. Clark is the best gift, but I wouldn't mind having a daughter or two," she said.

"Better be careful or you could end up with a lot more than us," Buffy said, loving this woman more every time she met her. "I have a lot of young girls in my life that lack a mother or a father. Giles can only do so much."

"We're going to have to meet this Giles you always talk about," Martha said.

"Invite him to dinner," Jonathan suggested. "He's your Watcher, right? I'd like to get a feel of the man." He wasn't ever going to be comfortable with others knowing about Clark. However, he knew that he and Marth wouldn't live forever. It couldn't hurt to have allies that they knew and trusted to help out his boy. However, the Watcher not being an American made him even more cautious.

"Dawn turns 17 in a month. Maybe I'll get him to come for a visit," Buffy said as she loaded up her plate.

"Giles is the best," Dawn said, sitting next to Clark. Buffy sat across from her next to Martha.

"He is," Buffy said. "He went against the Council, and they fired him for it."

"Over what?" Clark asked.

"Well, they Council had this barbaric practice when a slayer turned eighteen. They would have the Watcher dope the slayer, suppressing her powers. Then trap her in a house with a vampire," Buffy said. The Kents looked more than a little horrified. "Of course, this time, my mom was kidnapped by the vampire, who got loose and killed his handlers and almost killed my mother. Giles broke protocol and tried to save us both."

"That's awful!" Martha exclaimed. "Why would they do such a horrible thing?"

"They say it's to test how the slayer does without her powers," Buffy said. "I think it's a way to weed out the weak."

"How did you beat the vampire? I'm assuming your mom wasn't hurt?" Jonathan asked.

"She was fine. Pissed and scared but not hurt," Buffy said. "They vampire was a pill addict. I swiped his water for holy water, and he drank it with his pill. Burned him up from inside."

"This Council doesn't sound very trust worthy," Jonathan said, frowning.

"Oh, they weren't," Buffy said. "They are all dead now, so no worries. The First Evil blew up the entire Council about a year ago. Giles and I had to rebuild. Well, mostly it's Giles and Xander and Willow these days. I just come in when they need me—world endage stuff on the maximum level." She'd hit a few highlights the night before, but she didn't tell them everything. No need to terrify them off the bat.

The Kents found her casual mention of the world ending unnerving. Clark was staring wide-eyed at the two women as they both ate dinner without pause. Finally, he asked, "How can you be so blasé about the end of the world?"

Buffy shrugged. "I was younger than you when the Master tried to open the hellmouth for the first time and drowned me. Dawn was the same age when the First nearly succeeded in ending the world. She was fourteen when Glory tried to sacrifice her, and she opened all realities, nearly ending everything then. You'd be amazed at what you get used to. Have five or six apocalypses under your belt, and it's hard to see it as a big deal. We always stop them, so that's good," Buffy said.

"Yea," Clark said, exchanging looks with his parents.

"How many girls die in the process?" Jonathan wondered.

"We didn't lose anyone until graduation and the Mayor turned into a giant snake. He ate the principal and several students got vamped," Buffy said. Jenny didn't die in an apocalypse, and she didn't like rehashing Angelus. "But we stopped him and saved most of the senior class. The only one who died when Glory came was me."

"You mentioned that last night, but we're still trying to understand it," Marth admitted.

"I don't usually share that with people," Buffy told her. "But I know it's hard for you to share Clark's secret with us. People would think I was insane if they knew I had died, been buried, went to heaven, and came back several months later."

"You went to heaven?" Martha asked in astonishment.

"So heaven's real?" Clark asked in awe.

"I think so," Buffy said softly. "I don't remember much. I remember feeling warm and happy. I was at peace." It still hurt to think about what she'd loss. "It was hard coming back to life on the hellmouth. I suffered from PTSD for a while. Instead of getting counseling or help, I turned to a destructive relationship to lose myself in. It was not pretty. It's why I want to be a counselor. So I can help people who are going through things." Her classes had taught her a lot. PTSD definitely fit what happened with her and Spike—how numb and miserable she had been.

"Let's talk about this detective guy," Dawn said, changing the subject. "If he only saw Clark, he's got no proof of anything. No one would believe him."

"But just suspicions voiced could cause Clark unwanted attention," Jonathan said.

They tossed ideas of how to deal with him around. Finally, Jonathan said, "I'm going to talk to the guy myself. I'll tell him to stay away from my son."

"If that doesn't work, I'll talk to him," Buffy said grimly.

Clark had a feeling that a talking to wasn't going to do much with this guy. After dinner, he and Dawn went to the barn. A large piece of farm equipment nearly brained him. He had just enough time to knock Dawn aside before it hit him.

Dawn was horrified to see a metal piece of farm equipment on top of Clark. "Buffy!" she yelled as she always did. Then she moved to try and help Clark, her eyes filling with tears. "Clark! Don't move. Buffy will come help you."

"I'm fine," Clark said. He easily pushed the equipment off himself.

Dawn threw herself into his arms. "I was so scared! I thought you were dead!" she gasped as she hugged him in relief.

"I knew it!" A voice above them said. Both teens looked up to see the detective holding a camera. It was clear that he'd snapped pictures.

"You tried to kill Clark!" Dawn exclaimed, getting to her feet.

"Dawn!" Buffy yelled as she ran into the barn. "What's going on?"

"He tried to kill Clark!" Dawn shared, pointing at the detective. She pulled out her own cell phone and pushed record and moved to stand next to her sister, keeping it hidden in her pocket.

"I wasn't try to kill anyone," Detective Phelen said easily. "I knew very well that it wouldn't hurt him, and it didn't."

"If it had fallen on my sister, she'd be dead!" Buffy said angrily.

Jonathan and Martha made it to the barn. "What's going on? Is everyone okay?" Jonathan asked.

"The detective here rigged a booby-trap for Clark. That thing almost killed Dawn," Buffy said, pointing.

"It hit your son square on and look at him. Not a scratch," the detective said with a smug look. "Now I think the fine citizens of this town should know when we have a freak like him around to save them from buses and falling debris."

"You sick bastard!" Jonathan yelled, charging toward him.

Clark grabbed him. "Don't, Dad. He's a cop."

"I have it on tape that your son is not normal," the cop said. "I want to have a word with your son alone."

Buffy reached out, slugged the man in the stomach and took his camera. While he was bent over, she used her hands to crush it. "You mean this broken camera?" she asked. "I don't think so. You're going to leave. If I ever see you again, I might have to make sure your bosses in Metropolis find out just what kind of crooked cop you are."

The detective looked up at the woman with loathing. She was ruining everything. She would regret it.

After he left, Buffy turned to the Kents, "Let me know if he comes around again."

"I recorded him, so we can prove he is a nut job if nothing else," Dawn said, holding up her phone.

"That's quick thinking," Clark said, impressed. "Chloe would be proud."

"Well, he was taking pictures, so I figured turnabout was fair play," Dawn said smugly.

Martha hugged her. "I'm glad you're okay and that Clark has you for his friend," she said.

Dawn flushed, feeling good. Martha was so warm. Clark was so lucky. She missed her own mother terribly. "You ready to go, Buffy?" she asked.

"Sure," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow, Clark. Thanks for dinner, Martha. It was great." She gave the older woman a hug and the girls left.

As they got into their car, Buffy noticed Dawn's morose expression. "What's wrong, Dawn?" she asked in concern. "Did you get hurt and not want to upset the Kents?"

"No, I'm fine. Clark pushed me out of the way," Dawn said. "He saved my life."

"I guess, we'll have to call Willow and tell her that the curse is broken," Buffy said with a grin.

Dawn looked confused. "What curse?" she asked.

"Well, you almost died on a Monday. It's not Tuesday!" Buffy teased, causing Dawn to smile. "That's better. What's bothering you?"

"Nothing really. It's just Martha is so great. She makes me miss Mom. A lot."

Buffy sighed. "Yeah, I know. I feel the same way. But Martha has a big heart, and we can let her mother us all she wants!" Buffy said with a wink.

Dawn smiled. She knew she was lucky. She had friends and Buffy, and her mother had been the best. It was okay to like another mother, wasn't it? "We wouldn't be cheating on Mom, though, right?" she asked worriedly.

Buffy laughed. "I'm not sure you can cheat on your mother," she said. "Mom would love that there's someone like Martha in our lives. I know it. I bet she made sure that we got to know the Kents. The Powers couldn't say no to our mom!"

That thought maybe Dawn happy. She liked the idea of their mother fighting the powers on their behalf.

***** _The Next Day*****_

Buffy was in Metropolis at class the next day. Worry about Clark and the mess with the detective made focusing difficult. She had dinner plans with Lex. When the food arrived, she tried to keep her mind on his conversation, but it kept wondering. It bothered her that she couldn't tell him what exactly was distracting her. He knew her well and could see something was wrong.

"What's on your mind?" he asked when she said nothing to his latest Lionel story.

"I'm sorry," she said, giving him a guilty look.

"No need to apologize," Lex said, reaching for her hand and giving it a light squeeze. "You're allowed to occasionally think of something besides me."

"Only occasionally?" she asked, smiling at him.

"I do have needs," he said with a smirk.

"That detective guy has been bugging Clark. I confronted him about it yesterday. Told him to stay away," Buffy said. Then she mumbled and looked down as she admitted, "I might've punched him in the stomach."

Lex's eyes widened. "You assaulted a police officer? He didn't arrest you?" he asked in concern.

"He wasn't acting like a cop but a bully," Buffy said. "He almost hurt Dawn with this stunt he pulled. No one hurts my sister." The look in her eye made it very clear how seriously she meant that.

"Buffy, you have to be careful with this guy. He's not someone you want as an enemy," Lex warned.

"Well, neither am I," she said stubbornly.

Lex knew there was more to the story and felt his concern grow. Maybe tomorrow, he'd go to Metropolis and find out what exactly the detective wanted with Clark.

***** _The Next Afternoon*****_

Buffy was talking to Lana about the self-defense classes she was forming. It was an idea she'd come up with to get to know more of the students outside of school. If they knew her better, they might feel comfortable with her. Then they would be more willing to share when they had problems.

"I think that sounds like fun. I just don't want to be a cheerleader anymore. My aunt doesn't understand," Lana admitted.

"I was a cheerleader my freshmen year and loved it. Then a lot of life change things happened like my parents splitting up and moving to another city away from all my friends," Buffy shared. "I tried to get back into cheerleading, but it wasn't me anymore. It was hard to admit that my changing life had changed me."

Lana nodded. "That's it. I just feel like cheerleading was more about doing what was expected. My mom had been one, and she died when I was so young. It was a way to connect to her," Lana shared.

Buffy was so glad that the girl was finally talking to her. She wanted to pat herself on the back for thinking about the self-defense club the principal gave her permission to start.

However, they were interrupted by several cars pulling up. Two of them were police cars.

"I wonder what's going on?" Lana wondered as Clark, Pete, Chloe, and Dawn arrived.

"What's happening?" Chloe asked eagerly.

"We don't know," Buffy said.

They saw Detective Phelen get out of his car and point in their direction. Dawn groaned. "Great. Looks like that crooked cop is trying to get one of us in trouble," she said.

"What?" Chloe asked in alarm.

Clark gave Dawn a look to silence her.

"Miss Summers?" the uniformed cop asked.

"I'm Buffy Summers," Buffy said. "That's my sister Dawn."

"It's you that has a car on campus, right?" the copsasked.

"Yes," Buffy said, nodding.

"I need you to open the trunk of your car," the officer said.

"Why?" Buffy asked, frowning and not liking the smug look on the detective's face. He said nothing, but Buffy could tell from his facial expression that he was involved in whatever was going on.

"We have a tip that you are trying to sell drugs to the students at Smallville High," the officer said.

All the teens had various degrees of stunned expressions.

"Who told you that?" Chloe asked. "That's ridiculous! I spend a lot of time with Miss Summers, and she's never offered me drugs or engaged in any inappropriate behavior of any kind!"

"Your car, ma'am," the officer said, ignoring Chloe.

"Don't you need a warrant?" Buffy asked.

"Not if we have a valid concern, and we do," the cop replied.

"My sister doesn't do drugs!" Dawn said hotly. "And if your tip came from that guy over there, well, you can ignore it. He's a liar and a very bad cop! I have him on tape trying to blackmail Clark!"

"You can give me that tape after I see what's in her trunk," the officer said.

Buffy sighed in resignation. She had a very bad feeling about this, so when she opened her car and saw a bag of white powder, she wasn't overly surprised.

The cop grabbed her arm and put it behind her back. "Buffy Summers, you are under arrest," he said.

The students of Smallville High watched in various degree of shock and disbelief as the new, cool, and gorgeous peer counselor was arrested.

***** _To Be Continued*****_

 _Reviews are the best gift you can ever give a writer! Thanks!_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Doing Time

 _*****Metropolis*****_

Lex was at a meeting in Metropolis when his phone rang. He looked down and saw that it was Clark. Clark never called him, so he excused himself, ignoring his father's glare.

"Clark, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Buffy just got arrested at the school," Clark said.

"What?" Lex asked in dismay.

"The detective guy who's been harassing me planted drugs in her trunk, Lex. It's pretty awful. They arrested her in front of the entire school!" he shared.

"I will send my lawyer. Let's hope she doesn't say anything until he gets there," Lex said.

"Thanks, Lex. Dawn is calling Willow. She thinks she can help," Clark said.

"I'm not sure how, but we'll fix this," Lex said. He hung up, his mind racing. Even if they got the charges dismissed, Buffy's time at Smallville High might be at and end. Just an accusation could end her future in public schools. Disgust for Phelan filled him. He was going to make that cop regret hurting his girl.

***** _Smallville*****_

Buffy was so pissed she had to clench her fists to keep from breaking the cuffs and hitting the smug detective. He was sitting in the passenger side of the cop car, smirking at her in the rearview mirror. Due to the presence of the deputy, he knew not to say anything. He didn't need to, though because his face said everything he needed to say.

As they drove to the sheriff's department, her mind raced. This was a nightmare. She'd been arrested in front of the students. How would she ever bounce back from this? No matter if the charges dropped, the charges would still linger. She fought tears as the realization hit her; she'd never be allowed back in school.

The humiliation of sitting in handcuffs until she was processed burned through her. They patted her down, looking for weapons or drugs. For some strange reason, they took her shoes before they threw her into a cell. After an hour, she was allowed a phone call.

Who should she call? She wanted to call Lex, but she knew that Clark would. Due to the detective's knowledge of Clark's power, she had to tread carefully. Making a decision, she dialed Willow.

Willow's reaction was predictable. She was beyond pissed. "Will, calm down. You getting too work up won't do me any good," she said.

Willow knew that and took a deep breath, working to calm down. She gestured to Xander, who was standing nearby. "Talk to Buffy. She's in jail," she said, handing to phone to him.

"What?" Xander asked as he took the phone.

"Xander, I don't have much time. I need you and Willow to come down here. This detective who found something out about Clark he wants to exploit, planted drugs in my car and had me arrested at school in front of the students," she shared.

"Oh no! That's just wrong, Buff! We'll be there as soon as we can," he said before hanging up.

He turned to Willow. "What's the plan?" Xander asked. "She said that Clark is involved somehow."

"I will call Dawn. I wonder why she didn't call me?" Willow asked as she went to her phone. She winced when she looked at it. "She called me six times."

Giles came into the room. "Willow, Dawn just called me. She said Buffy was arrested an hour ago. Why are you and Xander not answering your phone?" he asked.

Xander put his hands on his pants' pockets. "I guess mine's in the truck," he said.

"We need to get there as soon as we can. Some detective set her up," Willow said.

"Dawn said that Clark has a secret—a very dangerous secret that the cop discovered," Giles said. "When Buffy came to his defense, the cop must've decided to get her out of the way his way."

"It's kind of a good plan," Xander said with a wince.

"We have to get to Dawn," Willow said. "I can teleport us."

"Are you sure?" Giles asked. "You have not ever moved another person—only yourself."

"I can do it, Giles," Willow assured him.

Giles frowned, not convinced. "Is this something you want to risk Xander's life over?" he asked.

"I wouldn't say I could do it if I thought he could get hurt," Willow said coolly, a bit offended at the implication.

"All right," Giles said. "Don't be angry that I asked. It's my job to ask those kinds of questions, Willow."

"I got our emergency bags in the closet. I'll grab them, and we can go," Xander said.

"I'll get the cell chargers and my laptop," Willow said.

"I will arrange a flight and be there as soon as possible," Giles said. "Do be careful."

"We will," Willow said.

It didn't take long for Xander to have a backpack on and holding another as Willow took his hand, her computer on her other side.

"Where are we going?" Xander asked. "I mean exactly?"

"To Dawn. I sent her a text," she said.

Giles watched them wink out, anxious. However, he knew he had to let them go and make his own plans. They'll be okay.

Back in Smallville, Dawn was at Clark's, telling his parents what had happened.

"We'll go to the station," Jonathan said.

A car was pulling up. "That's Lex," Clark said. "I called him, so he sent his lawyer to help. I bet he wants to find out what happened."

"Well, you can't tell him," his dad said pointedly.

"I know I can't tell him exactly what happened, but we have to tell him something," Clark said, looking at Dawn.

She started to answer but her phone binged. She pulled it out and saw the text message from Willow. "Willow and Xander are on their way. Willow will fix this."

"How can see fix this?" Clark asked in confusion. Lex was walking up to the porch, and he still didn't know what he was going to say.

Suddenly, it occurred to Dawn, though, that Willow's text, _I'm bringing Xander there NOW. Be ready,_ meant that she was teleporting. "Oh no!" Dawn exclaimed as Lex reached the front of the porch.

"Hey," he said to her. "Are you okay?"

"No, no, no! I have to go!" Dawn said in a panic. Willow was going to appear in the middle of this group if she didn't leave. Where to go? She jumped off the porch and was about to head to the barn. However, it was too late. Willow and Xander appeared right in front of her.

"What the hell?" Lex asked, startled at the appearance of his girlfriend's two best friends.

Jonathan and Martha both took a step back while Clark immediately stepped in front of his parents to protect them from the sudden appearance of…. "Willow? Xander?" he asked, confused.

"Oops!" Willow exclaimed. She glanced at Xander, who bent over to throw up.

"Teleporting blows," Xander groaned.

"You can teleport?" Clark asked in surprise.

"That's what I'd like to know," Lex said, stepping forward.

Willow winced. Buffy was going to kill her. She looked at Xander, who had straightened. "Guess we should've called Dawn to make sure she was alone," he muttered.

Clark looked at Dawn. "You knew they could do that?" he asked.

"No, them, just Willow," Dawn said with a sigh. "I guess we need to explain."

"Dawn, can I speak to you a moment?" Willow asked, gesturing.

While Dawn walked off with Willow, Lex went up to his friend. "What's going on, Xander?" he asked. "How can she do that?"

"Are you sure you want to know?" Xander asked him.

"Of course, I do. I _always_ want to know," Lex said firmly.

"It's magic. Willow's a witch," Xander said.

Lex stared at him to see if he'd start laughing or crack a smile. He was deadly serious. Lex, like his father, was open-minded. "Wait, a minute. Buffy told me that she was a real witch," Lex said. "I thought she meant that she had a temper to match her red hair."

Now Xander grinned. "She totally does. Don't make her angry. But it's not just a temper. She's the strongest witch on the planet," he shared. Unlike Buffy and everyone else, Xander didn't have any misgivings about Lex. He knew a kindred-spirit when he met one, and Lex was his friend. Even though it'd been a long time since he'd made a male friend, Xander trusted Lex. Buffy should, too.

"Xander!" Willow scolded as she walked back to them. "How about we not exaggerate?" She gave him the look—the one said he'd better shut up if he knew what was good for him.

"But how is it possible? Can other people do this? Can people learn how to do it?" Lex asked, fascinated.

"Look, Lex, I know we've freaked you out, but if you're going to be dating Buffy, this is the least freaky thing you'll probably see," Xander said.

"Xander!" Willow yelled, glaring. "What Xander means is, Buffy has a lot of friends with different gifts—some are odd and some aren't. As for teleporting, it's not something I do often because it's a waste of a lot of magic. Only really strong witches can do it."

"So witchcraft is real," Lex said, trying to wrap his mind around it.

"There's a lot of crazies and phonies, but there are also very real practitioners out there," Willow said. "However, we'll talk about this later. Right now, I have to focus on Buffy. I got my laptop. I need to find out everything I can on this detective."

Lex's phone rang. He stepped away to talk on it.

"We have to be careful what we say to Lex. He's a Luthor," Jonathan said, giving Xander and Willow the look Clark was all too familiar with.

"He's Buffy's boyfriend. We can deal with him," Willow said. "If he and Buffy go the distance, he will have to know what she is."

"That doesn't mean he has to know what my son is," Jonathan said. "I will never trust a Luthor."

"Dad, Lex has become a good friend to me," Clark said. "One of my closest. I think we can trust him."

"No, Clark," Jonathan said, not budging.

"Listen to your dad, Clark," Martha admonished.

Lex stepped back to them. "That was my lawyer. He said that because of the time, she won't see a judge until tomorrow. Arraignments are at 9 a. m. and 1:30pm. She missed the two windows," he explained.

"That means she has to spend the night in jail?" Dawn asked, upset.

"She's tough," Xander said, pulling Dawn into a hug. "She'll be okay. Nothing gets the Buffster down for long."

"Can we see her?" Willow asked.

"No. Only her lawyer can see her," Lex said grimly. "So why does Detective Phelan have it in with Buffy? What does he want with you, Clark?"

The group had various reactions to the questioning, and Lex noticed it all. Willow and Xander frowned, but they didn't look particularly anxious. The Kents, however, did. Dawn look like she wanted to tell Lex but a look at Jonathan Kent silenced her.

"Lana told me the detective was flashing pictures of Clark the day after the fundraiser in Metropolis," Lex said. "I'm assuming that's where he met you, Clark. What happened?"

"I didn't meet him, Lex, but he showed up at school the other day saying he knew a secret about me," Clark said, trying to come up with something plausible. "I-I think he investigated my birth parents."

"You didn't tell me that," Martha said in surprise.

"That's 'cause I didn't want to upset you," Clark said. He didn't realize his mother could lie so convincingly. Clark, though, felt guilty for feeding Lex a story. However, it wasn't a complete lie.

"Then he showed up when Buffy and I were having dinner here last night. He cornered me and Clark in the barn," Dawn explained. "He knows something bad about Clark's family and said he needed an errand boy that was big and strong like Clark. Clark has that wholesome good guy look that no one would suspect. I know he's obviously a dirty cop and wants Clark to do something bad."

Clark gave her a grateful look, appreciating that she was obviously really good at making up stories. "Buffy came into the barn and overheard his threats. He got really rude with her, so she punched him in the stomach," Clark said. He started to mention the broken camera but had no good explanation for why that was important.

Lex shook his head. "I wish she hadn't done that. This guy doesn't like people who get in his way. He must've seen Buffy as an obstacle," he said.

"One he found a way to remove," Xander said, pissed.

"So can you use your magic to make this go away?" Lex asked Willow.

"Possibly," Willow said. "There's things I can do. But first I need some information about him."

"I have a file on him at my house. I'll bring it to you," Lex said. "Buffy's hearing for bail is tomorrow at nine in the morning."

"How much is bail?" Dawn asked.

"Don't worry about that," Lex assured. "I'll take care of her." He didn't say it, but he'd take care of this detective if he had to, too. However, knowing his girl had a friend like Willow made him pause. He thought about it as he walked to his car. To have such power. . .

After Lex left, Martha said, "Come on inside. You can use your computer to do your research."

Dawn dragged her feet, wanting to talk to Clark. "Clark, Willow won't believe that story we fed them. What do I tell her?" she asked. "Can we tell her the truth?"

Clark shook his head. "No. I know she's good at keeping secrets and has power of her own. That is incredible what she can do," he said. "But I'm from another _planet_ , Dawn. That's not something that I can just tell people. Besides, your friends share all their secrets, right? Tell one, tell all?"

Dawn winced and nodded. "Yea, for the most part," she admitted.

"I am trusting you and Buffy, but I can't give the same trust to your entire group. It's too big," he said. "My parents would freak."

Dawn's mind raced as she looked for an explanation. Then it dawned on her. "Oh, I got it!" she exclaimed. "I know what we can say. We'll build on what we already said! Come on."

She grabbed Clark's hand and dragged him inside his own house. Clark found her more and more impressive. Nothing seemed to phase her. Not him getting hit by a bus. Not finding out he was from another planet. Not being blackmailed and nearly killed by the dirty cop. Even now with her sister in jail, she was thinking about how best to protect him. More and more, Clark was finding Dawn Summers occupying his thoughts.

"So what are we missing?" Xander asked them as soon as they reached the others.

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"What you told Lex isn't everything, is it?" he asked.

"No, not exactly," Dawn admitted, looking at Clark.

"You said 'what Clark is' earlier. What is he?" Willow asked.

Jonathan tensed and reached for his wife's hand, bracing themselves for what Dawn might reveal.

"Well, you know how Clark is adopted?" Dawn said.

When Clark's dad opened his mouth to silence her, Clark held up his hand. "It's okay, Dad. Dawn says they can be trusted," he said.

Jonathan looked grim but said nothing further.

"Yes," Willow nodded.

"Well, the cop found out that Clark is super strong. He saw him save a guy's life by stopping a car with his body," Dawn said, telling a version of the truth. She left out the word bus. "He traced Clark somehow and figured out that Clark has a parent that's a demon. One that can obviously mate with humans. It makes him stronger than a normal guy. It takes a lot to hurt him. Like a Fyarl."

"He's half Fyarl?" Xander asked, his eyes widening.

"I don't know. He doesn't know really," Dawn said. She knew this was an explanation that would make perfect sense to her friends. Although she hated lying to them, she got why Clark and his parents wanted the secret to remain that.

"Wow!" Willow said, eying him critically. "You know I could run some tests and figure it out if you want to know."

"I don't," Clark said quickly. "It's bad enough knowing that I'm not exactly human."

"Well, you're half-human, so that has to count for something!" Willow assured him.

"Demons aren't all evil," Xander said. "I dated a former vengeance demon. Then another girl I dated in high school became part demon."

"Clem's not evil," Willow said. "He's _all_ demon."

Jonathan looked at his wife. Both were relieved. Who would've thought such a crazy tale would be believed? He gave Dawn a grateful look, and she winked at him.

"Is that everything?" Xander asked, feeling like there was something more.

"Not entirely," Dawn admitted. "When the detective came here, he set something up in the barn to show how strong Clark was. It almost killed me."

"What?" Willow asked on a gasp.

"Clark knocked me out of the way just in time," Dawn shared.

"So that's why Buffy hit the guy," Xander said with a smirk.

"Yep," Dawn said, feeling giddy that it was coming together.

Willow opened up her laptop. "Now that we know how far this guy will go, let's see what I can find out about him," she said.

"Told you I had it," Dawn whispered to Clark. She flashed him a smug smile.

Clark grinned, glad her story appeased her friends. In their world, Dawn's explanation made perfect sense. How crazy his life had become!

Lex was thinking the same thing as he walked into his house. He had met an amazing woman. Now her world was falling apart, and he had to help her. Detective Phelan was going to regret hurting the woman he loved.

And he did love Buffy Summers. She was still the most fascinating woman he'd ever met. That she'd punch a cop amused him. Her instincts about people were impeccable. Both Phelan and his dad weren't to be trusted, and she knew that. She had a best friend that was a witch and could teleport. Her life was incredible— _she_ was incredible.

Lex remembered clearly the conversation they'd had when she'd told Lex that Willow was a witch. As her viewed his memories, he realized that she'd been testing him. She threw out the crazy truth to see how he'd respond.

**** _Flashback****_

 _It was the first day of the New Year. His party had been more successful than he'd imagined. This beautiful woman kissed him at midnight and was now naked in his bed. His hand stroked her back._

" _That was so nice," Buffy said, her voice muffled against his chest._

" _Only nice?" he asked._

 _Buffy looked up and met his gaze. "How about stunning? Amazing? Earth-shattering?"_

" _You took the words right out of my mouth!" he said, grinning down at her. He bent down and gave her a soft kiss. "It was perfect—just like you are."_

 _Buffy snorted. "I'm so not perfect, and I hope you won't dump me when you realize that," she said._

" _You seem pretty perfect. My dad was very rude to you and your friend Willow. You took it in stride," he said. His dad had ran off more than one potential love._

" _Well, Willow's a real witch. He better not push too hard and piss her off. He'll regret it," Buffy said, watching him carefully for his reaction._

 _Lex chuckled. "I'm not sure my dad takes enough time to regret much," he said._

" _I know one thing I won't regret," Buffy said, changing the subject._

" _What's that?" Lex wondered._

" _Being here with you," she admitted._

 _Lex stared at her and saw only honesty and sincerity in her eyes. She meant it. A warm glow took root inside of him, and he kissed her once more._

 _*****End of Flashback*****_

Lex realized now that Buffy had paused, seeing if he'd question her comment. When he didn't, she didn't say anything further. He sat at his desk, thinking. There was something else—something else that she'd told him.

When he was at the factory and Clark had saved him with an amazing feat of strength, he mentioned it to her in the car before they left. What was it Buffy had said?

Lex's eyes widened at he remembered.

"Clark's part demon!" he said aloud.

Buffy had speculated that and then casually mentioned that she'd lived on a hellmouth. Was she serious when she said her principal had been eaten by a giant snake? It seemed preposterous, but then so was teleporting. However, he had witnessed the reality of that less than a half hour ago. Who knew what else was true? He pulled out his cell phone to call his assistant.

"Get me everything you can on Sunnydale, California. Then research the term hellmouth," he told his assistant. "Yes, that's one word—I guess."

He hung up, feeling a twinge of guilt. Would researching this upset Buffy? Would she think he was crossing a line? He considered it a moment. Then he decided she wouldn't. She _had_ tried to tell him the truth. It wasn't her fault that Lex dismissed her. Now he was taking her seriously.

Clark Kent was part demon. Who would've guessed that? He grinned and sat back in his chair, his hands behind his head.

The world was truly a wondrous place.

***** _Chapter End*****_

 _I hope you enjoyed this update._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Partners in Jail

***** _A few hours later*****_

Lex left the Clarks and went to the Talon to make some calls. He called in favors and offered bribes. Unfortunately, the judge that would be doing the bail hearings was a guy who had previously a bad run-in with this father. He ordered one of his workers to start finding dirt on the district attorney that would be assigned to Buffy's case.

Lana brought him a sandwich and coffee. "I just don't understand this. How did all those drugs get into her car?" Lana wondered. "I can't believe she's a drug dealer."

"Of course, she's _not_ a drug dealer!" Lex said angrily. "If I hear you speculate such a thing again, I will have this entire place torn down!"

Lana's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Lex. I didn't mean anything. It was just surprising," she said, trying to calm him down. She hadn't really ever seen him angry because he was always so in control.

Lex sighed. "Look, I know you didn't mean anything by it, but I'm so pissed off. That detective is someone I know. He's dishonest and underhanded. I've seen him operate," Lex said. "Believe me when I say, he set her up. She got in his way, and he framed her. It's as simple as that." He drunk down the coffee and stood.

"I hope she'll be okay," Lana said sincerely.

"She will be," Lex said. He would make sure of it. When he went outside, a deputy was coming in.

"Mr. Luthor," the deputy said.

"Officer," Lex said. He wondered if this was the guy who put handcuffs on Buffy? He flung the door open and walked to his car that was parked in front of the entrance.

"Sorry to hear about your girlfriend's trouble, Lex," a voice said. Lex looked up and saw the man responsible for Buffy's problem. He walked up to Lex like he had no concerns in the world.

The smug look on the detective's face enraged Lex. "Yeah, I'm sure you're real sorry," Lex said. He shut his car door and faced the man. "You will be, though. I'll make sure of it if it's the last thing I do."

The detective's eyes narrowed. "Now that wouldn't be a threat, would it? Because I'd hate to have your past misdeeds made public," Phelan threatened.

Lex was so angry at the man's audacity that he didn't think. His legendary self-control was gone as he pulled back his fist and slugged the detective hard.

Of course, when he saw the detective's satisfied smirk, he realized his mistake.

"I am so glad you did that," Phelan said. He pulled out his cuffs. "Striking an officer is a criminal offense—even for the rich."

"You aren't a cop in this town. You don't have authority over me here," Lex countered.

Unfortunately, though, the cop who had walked into the Talon as he was leaving came out. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," Phelan said. "Lex just slugged me."

"After he went out of his way to provoke me!" Lex exclaimed.

The deputy sighed, not wanting to arrest the man who employed half the town. Everyone knew Lex Luther on sight. "Now, gentlemen, how about we simply shake hands and go about our business?" he suggested.

Detective Phelan glared. "I'm an officer of the law—a detective in Metropolis. Lex knows this. He assaulted a police officer! That's a felony offense!" he insisted.

The deputy frowned. "Is that true Mr. Luthor? Did you know you struck an officer?" he asked.

"He's a crooked cop who planted drugs in my girlfriend's car because she wouldn't let him blackmail a student! He's got no power in this town!" Lex protested.

"Are you wanting to press charges, sir?" the deputy asked Phelan.

"I most definitely do!" he replied.

"Well, Mr. Luthor, I'm sorry, but you'll have to come down to the station," the deputy informed him. He pulled out his cuffs.

Lex shut his car door and pulled out his phone to make a call. He shot off a quick text to Clark, knowing he'd tell Xander and Willow. He was about to call his lawyer when the deputy said, "You'll have to put that away. You can make a call down at the station." He looked at Phelan. "You can give your report there, too."

Lex couldn't believe it. The smug bastard had managed to provoke him _and_ get him arrested! His father was going to be pissed.

It wasn't his first time to be handcuffed or taken to a police station. Although he was furious at the detective, he was even angrier with himself. He knew better than to allow a guy like to provoke him. For the past two years, he had worked hard to control and channel his anger, yet he'd played right into that bastard's hands.

One thing he was grateful for, though, was how small a town Smallville was. They had a male and female cage next to each other.

Buffy stood up in alarm when she saw Lex coming toward her. She didn't think he was there for a visit, and when he was led to the cell next to her, she knew.

"Oh my goddess! What the hell, Lex?" she exclaimed.

Lex made a mental note of her use of goddess rather than the traditional God. He gave her sheepish smile and waited to respond after the guards walked away. He put his hand up to the side bars, so she could grab his hand.

"Would you believe that I missed you so much that I got myself arrested?" he asked.

"No," she said, shaking her head.

He sighed. "Yeah, well, I let Phelan provoke me into hitting him," he said.

"He got you for assault?" Buffy asked in alarm. "I so want to rip out that guy's spine!"

"Could you do that?" Lex asked with interest. Now that he knew that the supernatural was real, and her best friend was a powerful witch, he was re-examining all his interactions with her. She was too good with a sword—even better than his actual teacher. Did she have powers of her own or was she just highly skilled? It bothered him that he didn't know.

"Of course not!" she replied. She would never do it, so it didn't matter if she actually could—theoretically.

"Really?" he asked. Then he lowered his voice and leaned closer. "I found out that Clark is superstrong due to his demon half and that your best friend Willow is a teleporting witch."

Buffy's eyes widened, and her mind raced as she took in his words. So the guys, probably Dawn, came up with a reason to explain the detective's interest. She wondered if Dawn told Xander and Willow the truth about Clark, and then decided that the Kents wouldn't want Lex to know. Dawn had to have come up with this very likely explanation; she was the conniving one.

"You saw Willow teleport?" she asked.

"I was outside the Kents with your sister and Clark when Willow and Xander appeared," Lex explained. "They explained. Then I remembered you telling me she was a real witch. I thought you were joking."

Buffy smirked. "Well, my life is pretty unbelievable. I didn't want to mislead or deceive you, but I also didn't want you to run off thinking I was a loon," she said.

"I wouldn't have. My father raised me to believe the impossible," Lex said.

"Your father can't ever know about Willow and Clark. You know that, right? He is not to be trusted," Buffy said worriedly.

"Believe me, I know. I wouldn't ever tell him," he said. "You can trust me, Buffy."

Buffy nodded. "I know, Lex. If it was just my secret, I would've told you," she assured him. Guilt filled her as she thought of her own secret that she was keeping from him.

"I get it," he said. "The Kents have a right to protect their son. And Jonathan Kent has never shown any inclination to trust me because of my dad."

"I don't want to tell you everything here. Who knows who is listening?" she pointed out.

Lex grimaced. He had already said too much. "Well, I don't think Smallville is high tech enough for listening devices or top of the line cameras."

"Still," Buffy said. "We have to be careful."

Lex nodded. "I normally am careful and purposeful," he told her. "You make me lose my head."

Buffy grinned. "I like hearing that," she admitted. "I'm pretty sure I've lost my head over you myself."

Warmth spread through Lex as he gazed down at her, touching her hands through the bars.

"Unfortunately, we're going to have to spend the night here," Lex said. "Court for bail hearings is in the morning."

"That sucks," she said. "But I'm glad that you're here with me."

"Have I ever told you about the first time I was arrested?" Lex said.

Buffy grinned. "No. Have I ever told you about the first time I was accused of murder?" she asked.

"No," he said, smiling. He sat down on the bench. "We got lots of hours to kill. Who should go first?"

"You," she said, grateful for the distraction.

***** _Kent Farm*****_

It took a few hours, but Willow had figured out a plan of action. She had a truth serum spell that she had found a few months earlier, but she'd not used it before.

"The easiest thing is if we get him to confess," Dawn suggested.

"I might be able to do that," Willow said. "I have a truth spell I can try."

"Will it work?" Clark asked.

"Probably," Willow said.

"What about what he knows about Clark? Will he confess that, too?" Jonathan asked in concern.

"Maybe," Willow said. "But if we get him to confess all his wrongdoings, will they care what he rambles about Clark? Why should they believe him?"

"Good point," Dawn said.

"I don't like it," Jonathan said. "It's too risky."

"I am not sure we have much of a choice," Xander said. "If we took him out of the picture some way, it would explain away what he did."

"My sister's been through too much and sacrificed too much to have it all taken away like this," Dawn said. "When she was Clark's age, she was saving the world—even dying for it."

Jonathan didn't like the implied criticism and started to defend when Martha spoke. "I think it's a good plan," she said.

"I was thinking we should also do something to make me appear less strong in case there's a test of some kind," Clark suggested. "If Phelan or anyone else wants to questions me about any accusations he may make, they won't finding any proof of my strength."

"What do you mean?" Willow asked.

"Well, the meteor rock makes me sick. Could we use it somehow to make me not have powers?" Clark wondered. "At least temporarily."

"Those rocks could kill you, Clark!" Marth exclaimed.

"So you have an allergy to them?" Willow asked, trying to understand.

Dawn gave Clark a meaningful look behind Willow's back. _Careful about the meteor rocks. Willow was too smart._

"Yes," Clark said, nodding. "Lana has a necklace from one, and it makes me weak for some reason. I feel really sick when I get too close to her."

"That's interesting," Willow said thoughtfully. "I wonder what type of demon you are? I could research properties."

"Is that really important now, Will?" Xander asked, cutting in. "We need to stay focused. Figuring out Clark's family tree isn't the goal right now—no offense, Clark."

"None taken," Clark said, relieved. "It's not a goal of mine either really."

"Well, I would need a sample of the rock and a sample of your blood," Willow said.

"No!" Jonathan said firmly. "You are not experimenting on my son!"

"Dad, she's trying to help," Clark said. Then he looked at Willow. "But a needle won't actually penetrate my skin."

"Really? That's so fascinating!" Willow said excitedly.

"Focus, Will," Xander said.

"Give me a hair sample then," Willow said. "I will need some equipment like a microscope."

"I have some stuff in the barn from when I was into science," Clark shared.

Willow smiled in approval. "Great," she said.

"But shouldn't you focus on the truth spell?" Dawn asked.

"I can do both if you and Clark come help me," Willow said. "Clark can get me a sample of the rock. Or show Dawn where it's at, so he doesn't get sick."

"What should I do?" Xander asked.

"Use your clout and charm to start talking to Buffy's boss at the high school. When we get this problem taken care of, Buffy will want to go back to helping teens," Willow said. "Schools are notorious for not allowing second chances when it comes to situations like this. Just the appearance of impropriety can be devastating to a teaching career."

Clark's phone buzzed. He read the text. "More bad news. Lex got arrested," he said.

"Great," Xander said sourly.

"I'll take you into town and drop you off at the school. The principal should be there for at least another hour or so," Jonathan said. "Then I'll go find out what happened with Lex."

"I'll get started on dinner," Martha said, excited to cook for so many.

Dawn just hoped that the plan will work.

***** _Chapter End*****_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Confession

***** _The Next Morning*****_

As soon as the judge released both Lex and Buffy on bail, he turned to her and pulled her close. "I'm so sorry about this," he murmured to her.

Buffy looked up at him in surprise. "Why do you think this is your fault? I'm the one who angered the man, not you," she pointed out.

"I can't help but think that my past association with him is the reason for all this," he said.

Xander and Dawn were there and came up to them. "So glad to see you guys free," Xander said, hugging Buffy.

"Me, too," Buffy said. She frowned when she saw Dawn. "Why aren't you in school?"

"Like I'm going to go to school after you were busted in the parking lot with drugs," Dawn said, crossing her arms and looking stubborn.

"Dawn, you can't go skipping school!" Buffy said.

"I'm not skipping. Willow called in for me. Since you were arrested in plain view, the school understands," Dawn said.

"How about we go somewhere more private?" Lex suggested after thanking his lawyer.

"We have to come back in a month for court," Buffy said sourly.

"No, we won't. This will go away," Lex assured her. "I promise."

"Should we go to the Kents?" Buffy asked as they stepped outside.

"Or my place," Lex offered.

"Let's go to the Kents because they are a part of this," Xander said. "And Willow's working on this in their barn."

They made it to the Kents. Clark wasn't there because he did go to school. However, he was going to come home for lunch to see where they were at in the planning.

Xander led them to the barn while Dawn went to tell the Kents that they were back.

"Oh, you're out!" Willow said, happy to see Buffy. "Was it awful? Did anyone try to shiv you or make you their bitch?"

"Will, I told you not to watch _Orange is the New Black_!" Xander exclaimed.

"No one tried anything, Will," Buffy said, grinning. "I was in a cell by my lonesome until Lex was brought to the cell next to me."

"So what happened, Lex? Why did you end up in a cell next to the Buffster? Was it a romantic gesture to keep her from being scared?" Xander asked him.

"I can't really picture anything scaring Buffy," Lex said, putting his arm her.

"I don't like hairy spiders," Buffy said with a shiver. Too many crawling on crypts over too many years gave her a strong distaste for the creepy crawlers.

"So what happened?" Willow asked Lex when he was too distracted smiling down at Buffy. The man had it bad. Willow smiled to reassure him—she did like to see Buffy with a devoted boyfriend.

"Phelan provoked me outside of the Talon," Lex shared. "I hit him. A deputy was on hand for him to cry to, demanding justice for my assault on a police officer."

"What a whiner," Xander said.

"Tell me about it," Lex said. "I'm going to have his badge if it's the last thing I do."

"We need to talk about how you know him," Willow said. "What dirt does he have on you?"

"Why do you assume he has dirt on me?" Lex asked defensively.

"Doesn't he?" Xander asked in surprise.

"Well, yea, but—"

Laughing, Xander slapped his shoulder. "It's okay, Lex. We know you have a totally unscrupulous father, who you had to rebel against at some point with youthful shenanigans. But nothing serious, right?"

"It was pretty serious. A friend of mine was involved in an accidental shooting. Phelan made it go away and didn't record my connection to it," Lex admitted.

"Seriously?" Xander asked. "That's a pretty big deal."

"I know. That's why my dad got Phelan to take care of it," Lex admitted. If these guys were going to be his friends and not just Buffy's people, he wanted to know now. He really liked Xander, and he rarely liked the men who tried to befriend him. Clark had become his friend, but Xander was closer to his age.

"What we need to do is destroy his reputation so thoroughly that it won't matter what he says," Willow said.

"Good point," Buffy agreed.

Martha came out to the barn with Dawn. "Are you okay, Buffy?" she asked, hugging Buffy.

"I'm good," Buffy said. "I really need to clean up, though."

"You're welcome to use our shower," Martha offered.

"Thanks," Buffy said. "But I need to change. I probably should go home and take a shower. I feel so grungy after my night in the slammer. I'll be back."

"I'm fixin' lunch. Plenty for all of you. Clark will be here, too," Martha said. "I'm calling and having him excused for the rest of the day, so he can help you guys."

"We appreciate it," Buffy said.

"If you hadn't been trying to help Clark, none of this would be happening," Martha pointed out.

"I'm not so sure about that. Buffy is good at finding trouble on her," Dawn said with a smirk.

"Says the girl whose been kidnapped more than once!" Buffy countered.

When Martha looked alarmed, Buffy winced. "Oops," she muttered.

"Luckily, you both are here in Smallville where it's safer than that hellmouth you lived on," Martha said. "Lunch is ready at noon. I'll see you in a bit."

"Do you need some help?" Dawn asked.

"Of course, dear," Martha said, smiling at the teenager as they headed back to the house.

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking!" Buffy called after Dawn.

Dawn looked back at her and waved. "Go wash the prison stink off!" she yelled at her sister.

"Be nice," Martha admonished as they walked into the house.

"Brat," Buffy muttered, smelling herself and grimacing.

"I'll have to take you home," Lex said. "I'll drop you off at your place and then go arrange to get your car out of impound."

Buffy groaned, forgetting all about that detail. "I totally forgot that. I bet it'll cost me a few hundred dollars just to get it out," she complained.

"I will take care of it," Lex assured her.

Buffy frowned. "You know just because you're Mr. Moneybags, it doesn't mean that I expect you to fit the bill for everything," she said.

"You can get the next impound, okay?" Lex said, smiling at her as they walked away from Willow and Xander. "How about you tell me about this hellmouth you lived on?"

"I think Buffy might've really picked a good one this time," Xander said. He could hear Buffy try to come up with an answer to Lex's sudden question.

"He is sweet to her, but his father, Xander, is not a good guy," Willow said in concern.

"Neither was mine," Xander said pointedly. "We aren't our parents. Some luck out like Buffy and Dawn. Some don't. We have to judge Lex on his own actions and not his father's."

Willow nodded. "I know. I like Lex. I just worry," she said. "Finding out I'm a witch and Clark's half demon is a lot for someone to handle. What if he shares his new burden with his dad?"

Xander scoffed. "Sharing his business or ours with his father is not something I can see happening," Xander said. He knew he wasn't wrong about Lex, but it would take time to prove it to Willow. That was okay. They didn't trust easily—they couldn't. However, Xander recognized a kindred spirit when he met one, and he knew that Lex wouldn't betray them.

"I just don't want to see Buffy hurt. She's been through enough," Willow said.

"We all have," Xander said. "Do you think you can get that guy to confess his sins?"

Willow nodded. "I think so. I researched this carefully," Willow said. "I wish I could test it first, though."

"Why don't you give it to me?" Xander suggested. "I'll try it."

"But I know all your secrets!" Willow pointed out.

Xander thought about it. "That's true. Maybe we can get Dawn to try it? She's the sneaky one of us," he said with a grin.

"That's true," Willow said, laughing. "We'll think of something."

 _******A Few Hours Later*****_

Buffy and Lex made it back to the Kents just as Clark was pulling up in his truck. He smiled and waved, glad to see them both.

"Are you guys okay?" Clark asked them.

"We're good," Buffy said. "We cleaned up and got my car out of impound."

"That's good," Clark said.

They went inside the house. Xander and Willow were in the living room talking to Jonathan. Dawn came out of the kitchen with Martha.

"Hi," she said, smiling warmly at Clark.

"I got your homework for the day," he told her.

"Thanks," she said.

"Did you get yours?" Marth asked her son.

He nodded. "Yes," he said. He glanced at Willow. "Is everything ready?"

"I have something ready to go," she said. "I'm not sure if it works, though, until I test it."

"I offered myself, but I don't have any secrets to confess!" Xander said.

"We know every humiliating one," Willow said with a snicker.

"What about me?" Clark asked Willow. "Did you figure out a way to make me appear normal?" He gave Lex a nervous glance.

Lex put his hand on his shoulder in reassurance. "It's okay, Clark. I don't care what makes up your DNA. You're still my friend and the best guy I've ever met," he told him.

Clark was taken aback by his friend's sincerity and felt a twinge of guilt. Lex didn't know the real truth, but this was a reasonable compromise.

"Thanks, Lex," he said.

"I think I do, Clark," Willow said, holding up a crystal. "I took the particles of that stone you gave me and diluted it and used this spell I thought could help. If you hold it in your hand, it should work."

Clark took a deep breath and held out his hand. Willow placed the stone in it, and he immediately sagged to his knees as weakness hit him.

Lex reached out to catch him. "Are you okay?" he asked in concern.

Buffy was on his other side. "Let it go," she said, pulling at his hand.

"No, it's okay," Clark said. "I was just surprised." He didn't feel the nauseating sickness that the meteor rock normally gave him. However, he definitely felt weaker, but he was able to stand to his feet.

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked, giving him a searching look. He seemed a bit pale. "Your color is off."

"This isn't a good idea," Martha said worriedly.

"It may take him a bit to adjust, Buffy," Willow said. "He went from being mostly invulnerable to feeling like a regular guy."

"This is what it feels like to be you?" Clark asked her.

Willow grinned. "Well, not me. I'm not a regular human," she said.

"I am," Xander said happily. "Good ole American stock. Prime grade."

Lex chuckled, always amused by Xander. His entire life was so serious and demanding, and he would've loved having a friend like Xander as a child and a teenager. Clark was too serious like Lex, but Xander always brought much needed levity to the group.

"Does the crystal weaken a normal human?" Lex asked, curious.

"We can play with the cool rocks later, babe," Buffy told him. "We're on a time clock."

Lex looked sheepish as Willow gave him a wink. "We'll play later," she said. "I'll teach you some basic spells, too."

Lex brightened, and Buffy groaned. "Guys, focus," she admonished.

"So keep that in your pocket, Clark," Willow said. "In case the detective tries something else with you, you'll be ready."

"But what if he does something that really hurts Clark?" Jonathan asked.

"Well, if he gets rid of the crystal, his body will begin its normal accelerated healing," Willow said.

"That could be a problem, though," Xander pointed out. "If he gets better in front of watching eyes, it would give credence to the detective's claims."

"We'll be careful," Willow said. She held up a vial. "This here is a truth serum. It should last at least an hour or so."

"How do you plan on making him drink it?" Jonathan wondered.

"We have to get him in front of the Sheriff," Buffy said. "We want him to start confessing that he planted the drugs."

"I can call Sheriff Miller and make sure that he is on hand when we go down to the station," Lex said. "We can get Phelan down there."

"He seems like the kind of guy who would relish an opportunity to put the screws to you," Buffy said.

Lex nodded. "True," he said.

"Lunch is ready," Martha called out.

The group went and had a meal with the Kents. Clark's dad still hadn't warmed up to Lex, but he wasn't overtly hostile. As he watched Martha smiling at Buffy and giving her a third helping of potatoes, he felt very fortunate. For so long his life had been about either pleasing or pissing off his father. Now, though, he hardly gave his father a thought. His entire life centered around this woman—a woman who was so full of passion and love. Because of her, he had new friends and faced each day with a smile on his face.

"So Dawnie, do you want to be a guinea pig?" Willow asked after they were all eating a dessert.

"Sure," Dawn said, always eager to help.

"We need someone to try the truth serum, and your name was suggested," Willow said with a wink.

"Why me?" Dawn wondered.

"Because I can't keep secrets, and neither can Willow," Buffy said. "We have nothing to confess."

Of course, that wasn't exactly true, but telling Lex all her secrets right then wasn't good for the current mission.

"Why doesn't Lex try it?" Jonathan asked. "I'm sure there's a thing or two he has to confess."

"Because we don't have all day," Xander joked, breaking the tension Jonathan's pointed jab had created. "Lex would take hours telling us all his misdeeds."

Lex gave a sheepish smile. "That's about right," he admitted.

"So, Dawn, you're the best choice," Buffy said with a smug smile.

"Fine," she agreed. "But I can't be grounded for anything I confess!"

"Okay," Buffy said, nodding.

Dawn drank the vial of clear liquid and grimaced. "Taste gross!"

"Well, I wasn't going for taste," Willow said.

"How do we know if it's working?" Dawn asked.

"How many times did you skip school freshman year?" Buffy asked.

"Ten. Why?" Dawn asked.

The adults laughed while Clark looked shocked. "Ten times? Seriously? How did you manage that?" he asked.

"The dead mother card gets you a lot of leeway," Dawn said glumly. Then she put her hand over her mouth. "Why did I say that?"

"I guess it's safe to say that the serum works," Martha said.

"So how are we going to get him to drink it?" Clark asked.

"Oh, I'll get him to drink it," Buffy said grimly. She looked at Lex. "Make the call to the sheriff."

"What about the detective?" Willow asked.

"I'll get him there, too," Lex said.

"I hope this works," Marth said worriedly.

"It will," Buffy said. She couldn't bear to think of what would happen to her future career if this didn't work.

***** _Sheriff's Office*****_

Buffy was lurking outside the Sheriff's office. Martha and Jonathan were watching from their car. Lex and Clark went inside. Willow and Xander were taking a casual walk down the street watching. Lex had made it clear to the sheriff that he needed to mediate a discussion with Detective Phelan, so he had to find a way to get him to his office. If he knew Lex was there, he might not show.

When Phelan parked in front of the station, Willow sent Buffy a text letting her know he was approaching.

"Sir," Buffy called.

The detective looked over. She was in an alleyway next to the building. There weren't any security cameras if she stayed where she was at, so the plan was to draw him to her. When he saw her, he smirked and walked toward her.

"Got out on bail, huh?" he asked. "I wouldn't get used to freedom 'cause you're going to go away for at least a couple of years. Selling drugs to minors is a big no-no. Pretending to care about them makes the deception worse in a jury's eyes."

"You know very well that I had nothing to do with those drugs," she said angrily. Just a few steps closer.

"I don't know no such thing," he said. "You had all that powder in your car. Using or selling—both are frowned upon at schools." He smiled and stopped a few feet from her.

Buffy mumbled something low that he couldn't hear, drawing him a bit closer. "What was that?" he asked.

She looked up. "I said that you're going to regret this," she said coldly. She held out her hand. "But you can make this right. I'll forgive you if you tell the truth. Please."

Phelan grinned, enjoying her misery. "I do like to see attractive women beg," he admitted, stepping closer but not taking her hand. "Maybe we can make some kind of mutually beneficial arrangement."

"You'd help get the charges dropped if I sleep with you?" Buffy asked, trying not to gag at the thought.

"There wouldn't be much sleeping involved," he said smugly.

Buffy had enough and figured that he was close enough. She grabbed his arm and pulled him close. Willow approached, whispering a spell to make Phelan not resist. "Now," she told Buffy.

"Sir, I need you to drink this. It is refreshing and will help you see things clearly," Buffy said, holding up the vial. She took the top off it and handed it to Phelan who calmly downed it and handed it back to Buffy.

"Don't you have an appointment inside with the Sheriff?" Willow reminded him. He blinked and nodded. They watched him walk into the building.

"That was easy," Buffy commented.

"It's nice when things actually work out," Willow said. "This way he won't have a broken nose to explain away when he gets inside." Buffy was going to force him to drink the serum, but Willow said her way would be easier. She was right.

When they approached the front entrance, Jonathan and Martha got out of the car to follow Xander into the building with them.

"Sheriff," Lex said when Phelan joined him in the conference room. "I think you need to question the detective here. I know Buffy not only doesn't do drugs, she would never sell them. He planted those drugs because she angered him a few days earlier."

"How could a visiting detective know your girlfriend, Lex?" Sheriff Miller asked.

"Because of me, sir," Clark said. He'd went with Lex into the station so that he'd be on hand to add details to the story. "The detective wanted me to steal something for him. Buffy overheard him try to bully me and confronted him."

"You're a freak," Detective Phelan said. "I saw you and what you are. That bitch had no right to interfere!"

Buffy was outside the conference room they were in, but the door wasn't shut, so she had no trouble eavesdropping. She told her friends what they were missing. The door was half glass, so they could watch the drama unfold.

"You need to be honest, detective," Lex said. "Tell the sheriff how Buffy pissed you off, and you wanted to teach her a lesson."

"Well, of course, I did! The bitch broke my camera and punched me in the stomach!"

"You nearly killed her sister with that stunt!" Clark said.

"I meant to show how you could survive having a tractor fall on you. I didn't know her sister would be there!" the detective admitted.

"Are you saying that you _did_ plant the drugs in Miss Summer's car?" Sheriff Miller asked in dismay.

"Well, how else was I gonna teach that bitch a lesson?" Phelan said.

"He also provoked me into hitting him," Lex said. "Didn't you?"

"You shouldn't get in my way," Phelan said.

"Detective Phelan, hand me your gun and badge," Sheriff Miller said. "You are under arrest."

Detective Phelan's relaxed air immediately left him. He reached for his gun. "I'm _not_ the criminal here! Clark Kent is a freak. I'll prove it." Sheriff Miller was pulling out his own gun when Phelan shot Clark in the chest.

Buffy threw the door open as the Sheriff shot Phelan in the head, ending his threat permanently.

Lex grabbed Clark. "Call 9-1-1!" he yelled. The Sheriff pulled out his cell as the Kents rushed in the room.

"Clark!" Martha exclaimed. This was not a result any of them had expected. Blood was pouring out of her son. The sight was horrifying.

"We have to get him to release the crystal," Willow whispered.

"Then he'll heal too quickly," Buffy replied, glancing worriedly at the Sheriff who was barking orders.

The paramedics were there before they could do anything.

"Oh God!" Martha cried, leaning against her husband.

"Where's the crystal?" Buffy asked.

"In his pocket," Jonathan said. The paramedics, though, wouldn't let them get next to Clark to get it.

"His lung is filling up with blood. We have to get him to the hospital," the paramedic said as they put Clark on the stretcher.

They watched helplessly as Clark was loaded in the ambulance.

***** _Chapter End*****_

 _Reviews are much appreciated. Thanks!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Final chapter in this installment.**

Chapter 7: Restoration

 _******Nearest Hospital******_

Buffy and company raced to the nearest medical facility. Due to the size of Smallville, it wasn't a state of the art facility. For really serious things, patients were flown to Metropolis, the biggest city near them. Lex and the Kents went to find out where Clark was, and Buffy looked at Willow.

"Should you do something?" she asked Will.

"When we find out where he is, I think I should," Willow said. "We don't want to risk him dying. I'd never forgive myself."

"You have to do something, Will!" Dawn ordered, crying.

Lex reappeared. "He's in surgery already," he said.

"They didn't waste any time. That's good," Buffy said.

"Where exactly?" Willow asked.

"Down that hall is the two surgery rooms this place has," Lex said, pointing.

Willow walked down that way murmuring a spell that made people not pay her any attention. She wasn't invisible, but the spell made people excessively oblivious. The door wasn't very far down the hall, and she peered in the small window. There was Clark. Willow slowly opened the door, trying to be as quiet as possible. No one looked her way, so she eased the door shut. Everyone seemed calm.

"He's holding steady," the nurse said, looking at the screen.

"The bullet doesn't seem to be doing too much damage," the doctor said.

It was obvious that the doctor had already gotten it out, and Willow could tell he was satisfied. She felt relieved. When they cut off his pants, though, after the surgery, the stone would be off him. She slipped out of the room and went back to the waiting room.

Martha jumped up when she spotted Willow. "Did you see him? Is he okay?" she asked.

Willow looked around, not seeing anyone but their group in the room. "I did, and he's fine. They're finishing up right now," she said.

"Thank God!" Martha exclaimed, hugging Jonathan in relief.

Dawn hugged Buffy, happy.

"My concern is they hadn't cut off his pants yet, only his shirt," Willow said. "When they do, he'll have the rock off him and begin to heal."

"That's great," Buffy said.

"Well, it's great for him, but not so much for the not freaking out of the doctors and defying medical science part," Willow said pointedly.

"His accelerated healing will be hard to explain," Lex agreed.

Jonathan was leery of Lex knowing anything about Clark, but it seemed it could no longer be helped. He just hoped Buffy wasn't wrong to place such trust in a Luthor.

"Why don't you insist on him coming home to heal? He'll rest better at home," Buffy suggested.

"That's a good idea," Martha said. "It's not unheard of either in small towns."

"It saves money on doctor bills, too," Jonathan added.

"I will take care of his bill as this mess involves me," Lex through in.

"Actually, it's my fault," Buffy said.

"Yea, well, you can pay for the next hospital bill involving an innocent bystander," Lex said, grinning at her.

Jonathan was about to protest on principle, but his wife shook her head. She pulled him aside. "Honey, you know there's no sense in letting your pride get the best of you. Lex wants to pay, and he can. If he doesn't, Buffy might insist, and he can afford it more than she can," she told him.

"I don't like it," he said, frowning. "Gifts from a Luthor always come with strings."

"Lex is not his father," she reminded him. "He's a good man, who cares about our son. Look at the way he looks at Buffy. He's in love with her. You can't think he's working an angle when he looks at her that way."

Jonathan had noticed, of course, that Lex seemed to be infatuated with the young slayer. However, it was still hard for him to let go of his ideas when it came to that family. "I hope he doesn't break the poor girl's heart. She's been through enough," he muttered.

Martha laughed. "Buffy can handle him," she said.

The doctor came into the waiting room. "Good news," he said, smiling. "Clark is going to be just fine. They're cleaning him up and moving him to recovery now."

"So the bullet didn't do any serious damage?" Martha asked.

"Nope. He was one lucky guy. It broke a rib and tore through some muscle. It did nick his lung, which is where all the blood came from, but I was able to repair the damage," the doctor said. "We gave him some blood to replace what he lost."

"So he's going to be okay?" Jonathan asked.

"He's going to be fine," the doctor said.

"That's so wonderful," Martha said, smiling at the man. "When can I take him home?"

"He should be able to leave by tomorrow," the doctor said.

"Doctor, is that necessary? If he's not in danger of dying, I'd rather he recover at home where he can rest," Jonathan said.

The doctor looked surprised. "He was shot, Mr. Kent. Although it could've been worse, it still was a serious thing. We had to do emergency surgery, so he didn't bleed to death," the doctor said.

"If the Kents want their son to go home, allow it," Lex said, butting in. "I will have a private nurse come check on him or stay through the night if necessary."

For once, Jonathan Kent didn't protest because he knew none would be needed. "That's a good idea," he said. "Thanks, Lex."

"Well, I don't like it," the doctor said. "Bring him for a checkup in a week."

"Of course, Doctor," Marth said.

"He needs a half hour in recovery," the doctor said.

"Okay," Marth said. "Can I go see him?"

"In a half hour," the doctor said grimly. Then he turned and left.

"Buffy, shouldn't we get any blood samples?" Xander whispered to her. "We don't want them wondering why his blood doesn't look exactly human."

Buffy's eyes widened as she realized he had a point. "We need to go find out where it'd be," she whispered back. The two of them went sleuthing to see if they could nab the blood.

Chloe, Pete, and Lana finally showed up in a panic as the news about Clark had finally reached them.

"Where is Clark? Is he okay?" Chloe asked.

"What happened?" Pete asked.

Dawn pulled them aside and gave them the sanitized version of events, minus the magic and conspiracy.

"I will go to the recovery room and keep people from checking Clark's wound," Willow said, slipping away again.

Buffy was relieved that things seemed to be working in her favor as she and Xander found the lab, and it was empty of personnel. She was look out while Xander went into the room. Her slayer strength allowed her to force open the door.

Xander went into the room, freaked out when he realized all that there was to look at. "Think," he murmured. "What would Willow do?" Then he wondered why they didn't have Willow do this? "I can do this!" he said, pumping himself up as he looked at the glass cabinets. Then he realized that Clark was the only surgical patient right now, so his blood was probably not in a cabinet yet. The table had blood on it—probably the stuff to be processed next. He scrolled through the samples and grinned when he saw on labeled Kent. Should he steal it or swap labels? If he took it, they'd wonder what happened. But what if some poor guy had cancer, and he didn't get diagnosed? Shrugging, Xander swiped it in his pocket and opened the door. Hopefully, no one would get fired for the missing sample.

"You found it?" Buffy said as she shut the door. He nodded and gave her a thumbs up. The two of them strolled causally down the hall, finding Willow by Clark's room.

"Will, we got his blood sample. Can you check to see if there were any camera feeds spotting our suspicious activity?" she said to Will.

"Good point. My behavior would be a bit suspicious if seen on camera. I'll go get my laptop," she said.

"Did you warn Clark to act sick and in pain until we leave here?" Xander asked.

"Yes," Willow said. "He knows what to do."

"Tell Martha that he's awake," Buffy said. "I'll stay with him."

Xander nodded and went to get Martha.

The Sheriff showed up a short time later. "How's your boy?" he asked Jonathan.

"He's good. They got the bullet out without too much trauma. There's a cracked rib that will cause him some pain for a bit, but they repaired the small tear on the lungs," Jonathan shared.

"That's good to hear," he said, slapping Jonathan's shoulder lightly and shaking his hand. He turned to Buffy. "Ms. Summers, I spoke to the city attorney, and the charges against you are dropped. I also spoke to Detective Phelan's superiors in Metropolis. They'll be looking into many of his past cases."

"That's great!" Buffy said.

"What he say?" Dawn asked, joining the group of adults.

"He's dropping my charges," Buffy said.

Dawn cheered and hugged her sister.

Martha came back into the room to tell them Clark was awake and joined her husband. "What did Sheriff Miller say?" she asked. Jonathan told her the good news.

"But what about the school?" Chloe said to the Sheriff. "The court of public opinion has already judged Ms. Summers and found her guilty. The school may still not let her back in."

"Maybe a letter to the principal on Buffy's behalf?" Lana suggested.

"I will speak to the principal," Miller agreed.

"An article blowing this case wide open might go the longest way," Pete suggested to Chloe.

Her eyes lit up. "That's very true! Can I interview you, sir?" she asked the sheriff.

"Of course," he said. "Anything to help. An ugly mess all around." Chloe took him to the nearby chairs and began getting the news from his perspective.

Buffy leaned against Lex, who wrapped his arm around her. "I can't believe it's over," she said.

"I had faith that you'd be exonerated," he informed her.

Buffy looked up at him, smiling. "Oh, yeah?" she asked.

"Absolutely," he assured her. He couldn't resist kissing her, and her arms move up around his neck as she kissed him back.

Jonathan could see how close Buffy was getting to Lex and was concerned. He was a Luthor, and he honestly didn't think the man could escape his father's legacy.

Martha knew her husband well, and she put her hand on his arm. "Buffy is no fool, Jonathan," she said quietly. "If Lex wasn't trustworthy, she wouldn't be with him."

"He has seduced her," Jonathan muttered.

"It looks pretty mutual to me," Martha said, leaning up to kiss her husband's cheek. "Maybe there's more to Lex than you think. He's not his father.

"Maybe," Jonathan grudgingly acknowledged. They did look very happy together.

"Come on, your son is waiting for you," Martha said, and took him to see Clark.

Less than an hour later, a very alert looking Clark was wheeled out of the hospital, much to the dismay of Pete. Chloe left to type up her story, and Lana went to support her boyfriend, Whitney, whose father was very ill.

"I can't believe you're not staying the night," Pete said, walking with Clark as his dad pushed his chair.

"I'll get better faster at home resting," Clark said.

Pete didn't look reassured, so Lex told him, "I'm hiring a nurse to check on him."

"I'll be better in no time, Pete," Clark assured him. "Don't worry."

Pete nodded and told his friend to call him tomorrow.

"I will," Clark said.

Pete left, and everyone followed the Kents home.

Of course, by the time they were home, Clark was perfectly healed. "I can't believe how effective Willow's stone was," Clark said when they made it into the house.

"A little _too_ good," Martha said, pulling up Clark's shirt and checking the wound. When she removed the bandages, his skin was perfectly healed.

"Wow, there's not even a scar," Dawn said, looking at his chest.

"How about you not ogle the half-naked teenage boy your own age?" Buffy said dryly.

Dawn blushed and glared at her sister. "You were ogling, too!" she accused.

"Was not," Buffy said.

"Was, too!" Dawn argued.

"Girls," Martha admonished.

"Sorry," they both said.

Clark put his shirt back on, smiling at the two girls. "Glad it's over," he said.

"Me, too," Buffy said. "The sheriff said he would clear things up with the principal. I hope she'll let me back into the school."

"She's a reasonable woman. I'm sure she will," Marth said.

"If not, I'll talk to her," Lex said.

"No, Lex," Buffy said. "If she genuinely isn't comfortable letting me back in the school, I don't want her to be talked into it. I'll give it a day, and then I'll go talk to her."

"Fine," Lex said. It was hard for him to not want to fix things. He had never had anyone in his life like Buffy, and he wanted her to be happy and have everything she wanted.

"Don't worry, Lex," Jonathan said. "The downside to being with a strong woman is they don't want you solving all their problems for them."

"That's true," Martha said, flashing her husband an approving smile. He was trying with Lex, and that was what was important with her.

"So now that the bad guy is vanquished, it's time to boogie," Xander said to Lex.

"Huh?" Lex asked, not sure what he meant.

"See, it's a Scooby tradition," Willow explained. "We beat the bad guy, and then we party."

"Good times to be had because tomorrow we could be dead," Xander said with a grin.

Martha found the man's fatalistic view upsetting. "You aren't going to die anytime soon," she assured him.

"Oh, he knows that, Martha," Buffy assured her. "That's just what we'd say when we lived on the hellmouth in Sunnydale because tomorrow wasn't really guaranteed in that town."

"Clark has to pretend to be bedridden and recovering for a week," Jonathan said. "So no parties."

"But, Dad!" Clark protested.

"How about we all go to Metropolis out to dinner away from all the Smallville folks?" Lex suggested.

"What if someone comes by to visit, Clark?" Martha pointed out. "That is likely in this small town."

"Won't they assume he's resting at the hospital," Dawn said.

"Possibly," Martha said.

"You almost died, Clark. You can celebrate next weekend," Jonathan said. "We can have a party here if you want."

Buffy's eyes lit up. "Oh, that sounds great! I'll help plan!" she said excitedly.

"Well, we can't stay a week," Willow said. "I need to get back to Ohio tomorrow."

"Let me take you and Xander out to dinner," Lex said.

"I'll stay here and keep Clark company," Dawn offered.

"Sure," Buffy said, giving her a knowing look. Her sister stuck out her tongue.

"I'll make dinner," Martha said.

"Can I help?" Dawn asked eagerly. She loved how maternal Martha was.

"Of course, dear," she said.

"I need to stop by the mansion," Lex said. "We'll take the limo."

"Of course!" Xander said, grinning. "What else?"

They all said their goodbyes to the Kents and got into their vehicles, driving over to Lex's.

"Come inside and give me a minute," Lex said. He left them looking at one of his paintings while he went into his study. His father was there and looked up when he entered.

"What the hell is going on with you, Lex?" his father demanded.

"Make yourself right at home in my study," Lex said, sourly. He ignored his dad and picked up his phone to call his assistant to get some reservations for dinner.

Lionel didn't like being ignored and grew more annoyed. "I demand answers," he said. "You got arrested for hitting a police detective? Are you insane? And now I find out you're dating a drug dealer?"

Lex thanked his assistant and hung up. "Well, Dad, thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt," he said. "Detective Phelan, as you know, is totally corrupt. He was attempting to blackmail Clark Kent into doing something illegal. My girlfriend intervened and threatened him, and he didn't like it. So he set her up, Dad. Buffy doesn't use drugs, nor does she sell them."

"How can you be so sure?" he asked.

"Sometimes, Dad, you just know," Lex said, slapping his dad on the back. "Do you want to join us for dinner and get to know my girlfriend and her two best friends? You can check her pupils for signs of drug use."

Lionel considered it. "Another time, Lex. I just don't want you to be taken in by some woman after your money," he said.

"Dad, Buffy has a trust fund. She doesn't need my money," Lex said. "She got a settlement from the Sunnydale Survivor Fund, and she also worked at a company for several years that paid her quite a bit of money."

"What company?" he asked.

"The Watcher's Council or something—it's in Great Britain," Lex said. "Next time you're in town, call me in advance, and we'll go to dinner. Once you get to know, Buffy, you'll love her."

"I'm sure you're right," his dad said agreeably. He could see that Lex was under the woman's spell, so there was no reason to push. He'd find out sooner or later everything there was to know about the woman and her friends. Now Lex had given him another clue. He wrote the name down. _Watcher's Council—Great Britain._

Lex joined his guests. "Sorry for the wait. My dad was in the study," he said.

"No problem. This house is never dull," Xander said, grinning. "I wish the Cleveland house was as cool."

"Too many girls," Buffy said knowingly.

"So true," Xander said with a sigh. "Maybe, Lex can hire me as his sidekick or assistant."

"Sure," Lex said, smiling as they walked outside.

"No, you can't leave all your legion of fans," Willow told him. "They'd be crushed without their Xander-shape Watcher-man."

"Sometime, you're going to have to tell me about what that means," Lex said as he led them to the garage. The driver stood when he saw Lex. "We're going to need to go to Metropolis."

"Of course, sir," the driver said, opening the limo door.

When they got into the limo, Buffy thought about telling Lex about her calling, and what a Watcher was exactly.

Then Willow's phone rang, and she said, "It's Giles."

While she answered it, Buffy leaned across to Xander. "Do you think I should tell him about me?" she asked.

Xander nodded. "I do," he said.

"Hey, Giles is at the airport in Metropolis," Willow said. "We need to go pick him up."

"That's great! Lex can finally meet him!" Buffy said excitedly.

Lex told the driver to make a stop at the airport. "I'll call and get another person added to dinner," he said, pulling out his own phone.

Buffy decided to not tell Lex about being a slayer until after Giles met him. Then she'd ask Giles. It wasn't that she had doubts about Lex, but she didn't trust herself. What if she was wrong about him?

It didn't take them too long to find Giles and welcome him with hugs all around.

"Giles, this is Lex, my boyfriend," she said, looking up at Lex, whose hand she was holding. "Lex, this is Giles."

Giles smiled and held out his hand. "Please, call me Rupert," he said, shaking Lex's hand.

"It's so great to finally meet you, sir," Lex said, more nervous than he would expect. This man meant everything to Buffy, and Lex knew that man's approval meant the world to his girlfriend.

"You, too, Lex," Giles said. He looked at Buffy. "So I take it that you are no longer wanted by the police?"

"We took care of it," Buffy said. "Wait until you hear!"

On the way to the restaurant, they filled Giles in on how things went down.

"I knew that by the time I got here, things would be copasetic," he said. "But it was a good excuse to see my girls. Where is Dawn?"

"She stayed to keep Clark company," Buffy said. "She's got a crush."

"Well, he is pretty crush-worthy," Willow said.

"That's true," Buffy said, grinning.

"Clark is the best guy I've ever met," Lex added.

"Until you met me!" Xander said with a wink.

Lex laughed. "I don't know. That pirate look you have going makes you seem nefarious," he said.

"Hey, no mocking of the eye!" Xander said with a pout.

"Have you considered getting a prosthetic?" Lex wondered.

"Not really," Xander said. "I figured that I have one eye, so people should just deal with it."

"As someone who can no longer grow hair, let me tell you that appearance matters," Lex said. "People judge you based on it. Of course, those that matter the most to you don't care. However, you also don't want people misjudging you before getting to know you."

Xander frowned. Did he care that much? It was true that some of the moms of the slayers looked at him warily when he first met them. If he had two regular eyes, would he put them at ease? "I don't know. Maybe," he said.

"We love you the way you are," Buffy said, frowing at Lex in disapproval.

"I'm not suggesting we don't," Lex said. "I'm talking about strangers. First impressions."

"It is true that some of the parents seem nervous around me when we first meet," Xander acknowledged.

"Unfortunately, people in the world are often quick to make judgements," Giles added.

"I bet I can make your hair grow back," Willow said to Lex. "Do you think you can come stay with us for a week or so sometime? We can try some different things. It sounds like the hair follicles were damaged by the meteorite shower. I bet I can find a way to heal them."

"Will you teach me some magic?" Lex asked.

"You're interested in learning magic?" Giles asked.

"I'm interested in learning anything that I didn't know before," Lex said. Magic was probably just another type of science no one had really mapped out yet, and he was eager to learn more of this new territory.

They arrived at the restaurant. Buffy pulled Giles aside. "Giles, Lex knows about magic 'cause he saw Will teleport. He took it in stride, and I mentioned the hellmouth to him. But I haven't told him about being a slayer. What do you think?"

"If you love this man, Buffy, I'm assuming that he has your trust?" Giles inquired.

"Completely," she said.

"Then you should let him know who you are entirely. Life is too short to play games," Giles said as they moved to the table.

Buffy knew Giles was right, and she wanted Lex to know the truth. After everyone ordered, she looked at Giles. "Giles, would you like to tell Lex about when and why we first met?" she asked.

Willow and Xander were surprised at her request and gave her a curious look. Buffy nodded; it was time.

"Well, if you're sure?" he asked.

Buffy reached over and grabbed Lex's hand. "I believe that we can trust Lex with all my secrets," she said.

Lex could tell something very significant was about to happen, and he gave her a reassuring smile. "I would never betray you," he said.

"I know," Buffy said. She turned expectantly to Giles.

"The world is older than you know. . ." Giles began, telling Lex the origin of the vampire slayer.

"Buffy is the vampire slayer and has been fighting demons and vampires since she was fifteen," Giles finished. "When Sunnydale was destroyed it was because we closed the hellmouth the town was on."

"She mentioned the hellmouth, but—she didn't mentioned how special she was," Lex said, looking at his girlfriend in wonder.

"I'm not so special anymore," she said. "I told you that I drowned once, right?" Lex nodded. "When that happened, another slayer was called. Faith now handles the active hellmouth in Cleveland. It's her turn."

"Buffy helps out when things are dire," Giles said.

"So all those girls that came at New Years, are they slayers, too?" Lex asked. Now everything was making sense. Too many of them looked right down predatory. They had feline grace that was so unusual.

"In the world, there are countless potential slayers. We train them," Giles said, not sure if Buffy wanted him to know everything.

"There was this First Evil we fought the last year in Sunnydale," Xander said. "He had this demon empowered priest as his disciple. His name was Caleb, and he went hunting and killing many of the potentials. He's the one who gauged my eye out."

Lex winced at that image. "Man, I'm sorry," he said with sympathy.

"That's okay," Xander said, giving Buffy a proud look. "Your girl here sliced him in two with her magical scythe!"

"Maybe we don't need to tell him every gory detail," Buffy said, feeling worried. She glanced at Lex, who seemed to be fine, however.

Lex picked up her hand. "I am sure you would never hurt anyone that didn't really deserve it," he said, kissing her softly.

Willow sighed happily at the clear bond visible between them.

"He was demon powered, and not entirely human," Giles said. "Normally, slayers do all they can to not hurt humans."

"But the first had an army of super vamps, and the hellmouth was going to open," Buffy said. "Willow did a spell using the magic of the scythe I pulled from a rock to empower all the potentials."

"So now you don't have to fight alone?" Lex said, understanding perfectly.

"Now, my burden is shared by many," Buffy said. "It's why I can now go to school and have a life."

"Buffy is the oldest recorded slayer on record," Giles said.

"I couldn't have done it without the help of my friends," she added.

Lex knew that his girlfriend was not like any other girl that he had dated, but he didn't realize how truly extraordinary she was. A whole new world was opening up for him, and he was eager to see what all it held.

"I don't think I've ever had any friends I'd trust having my back like that," he admitted.

Xander was sitting on his right side, and he slapped Lex on the back. "You do now, buddy," he assured him.

Lex was touched at his friend's sincerity. He hoped that he and Buffy lasted forever because he would hate to lose a friend like Xander.

Buffy smiled at her friend, grateful that he'd so easily embraced Lex. She knew how starved he was for affection and friendship. It was good to see him let people in, and she knew it wouldn't take long before he'd become an honorary Scooby.

This was the beginning of something truly special.

* _****The End*****_

 _This one is a wrap, but I hope to write more stories about Buffy and Lex. I can see Lex having magical abilities and learning more about that as his father digs into Buffy's secret. Review please! Thanks!_


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